Time Trip (taking suggestions for better titles)
by InvisibleNinjaPirate
Summary: In the year 2006, the children of the Joes are unwittingly transported back in time and come face to face with their parents from when they were Joes? How will they get home? How do their parents help them?... Rated for some strong language...
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: This story focuses mainly in the future children (who I created myself) of the Joes and takes place in two time periods- June 1986 and June 2006. It deals with what happens when the children are unwillingly transported back in time and meet up with the younger versions of their parents. I highly recommend reading character descriptions of the children before scrolling down to the first part… 

If you have no interest in reading about the children, just scroll down to the first chapter…

Disclaimer: I'm broke, don't sue. 

Actual disclaimer: The Joe team is owned by Hasbro, Sunbow, Marvel, and everyone else besides me. This is a purely fictional work created in my own mind and the only things I own in the story are the children I created. 

Reviews: Review if you want to, but DON'T FLAME!!!! I can take constructive criticism but NO FLAMES!!!! I also like praise, so if you choose to, PRAISE ME AS YOU SHOULD!!!! J 

****

The Children:

Abigail Elizabeth Delgado

**Nicknames**: Abby, Abbybeth

**Birthdate**: May 12, 1990

**Age**: 16

**Birthplace and Hometown:** Long Island, NY

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: **Hector Delgado, code name Shipwreck

**Hair**: Dark Brown

**Eyes**: Blue

**Height:** 5'6"

****

Hobbies and interests: Dancing, soccer, hockey, plays piano, viola, and cello, singing, lacrosse, running, collects scented candles, walking on the beach, writing

****

Personality: Shy around people when she first meets them, but extremely friendly and fiercely loyal to her friends. Level-headed, smart, and very close to her father

****

Background: Her parents separated and subsequently divorced just after she was born. At first, Abby was sent to live with her mother but at age five, upon discovering that her mother was physically abusing her, the courts awarded sole custody to her father. This has resulted in her having a very cautious attitude when approaching people when she first meets them. She has not seen her mother since she was seven years old, after her mother spent time in jail for abusing her and then vanished without saying goodbye. It still hurts her some, but she has a strong and open relationship with her father, which has all but eliminated that pain.

She met her best friend Elizabeth Krieger when she was eight and they have been inseparable since. Elizabeth's twin brother, David, can often be seen with the two girls. Abby's calm and levelheaded attitude often compliments her best friend's wild and bubbly personality, and at times, even matches it. 

Abby spent much of her childhood as sort of a tomboy, but as she got older, she discovered she had a keen musical ability and a definite interest in the boys at school, including having a little crush on David…

Elizabeth Nicole Krieger

**Nicknames**: Beth, Klizzygail

**Birthdate**: April 23, 1990

**Age:** 16

**Birthplace**: Fairfax, VA

**Hometown**: Long Island, NY

****

Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: Courtney Krieger, code name Cover Girl

**Hair**: Strawberry blonde

**Eyes**: Hazel

**Height**: 5'9"

****

Hobbies and interests: dancing, singing, hockey, collecting teddy bears, shopping

****

Personality: Outgoing, bubbly, talkative, and wild. Always willing to stand up for her friends. A little boy-crazy.

****

Background: One of a set of twins, she younger than her brother by a mere seven minutes. Her parents divorced when she was three and she spent much of her life moving around with her family as her mother's job continued to transfer them from city to city and state to state. They finally settled down on Long Island when she was eight and met her best friend Abby who has been her partner in crime since. Beth is a bit boy-crazy and often has to be dragged through the mall by Abby to keep from standing and staring at whichever boy has caught her eye at that moment. She counts on Abby to keep her grounded just as Abby counts on her to infuse a lot of fun into any situation. She shares a close relationship with her mother and often confides in her and/or looks to her for advice for whatever she may need help with, whether its boys, school, or a fight with any of her friends.

David Alan Krieger

**Nickname**: Dave

**Birthdate**: April 23, 1990

**Age**: 16

**Birthplace**: Fairfax, VA

**Hometown**: Long Island, NY

****

Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: Courtney Krieger, code name Cover Girl

**Hair**: Brown

**Eyes**: Brown

**Height**: 6'1"

****

Hobbies and interests: Playing soccer and lacrosse, going to hockey games, helping his mother detail their '67 Mustang, playing trumpet and baritone saxophone, competing on the school robotics team

****

Personality: Unlike his sister, David is exceptionally quiet and shy. He's exceptionally smart and a natural moderator when people he cares about are fighting. 

****

Background: Having moved around with his family for so much as a child was difficult on him, but now that his family has been settled since he was eight, he has found it easier to open up to people without fear of moving every year. He has always been very careful about selecting friends. Oddly enough, his quiet demeanor and care for his family and friends cause people to be drawn to him and therefore, he has many friends. He has also developed a little crush on his sister's best friend, Abby…

Cassandra Sarah Fairborne

****

Birthdate: August 3, 1990

**Age**: 15

**Birthplace**: New York, NY

**Hometown**: Fort Meade, MD

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team:** Allison Hart-Burnett, code name Lady Jaye and Dashiell Fairborne, code name Flint

**Hair**: Brown

**Eyes**: Brown

**Height**: 5'7"

****

Hobbies and interests: Reading, politics, ballet, debating, field hockey

****

Personality: Cassandra has spent her life in upscale private schools and boarding schools and as a result, has developed an attitude to match. She looks down upon anybody who she feels has had a lesser upbringing than her. It's not that she's completely snobbish… although she does come across that way… it's just that she doesn't understand anything outside her sheltered world. And it certainly doesn't help that she has her mothers stubborness and her father's arrogance…

**Background**: Cassandra's parents are constantly travelling for their jobs and once she was old enough, was sent to boarding school. She has grown close to her grandmother, who takes care of her when her parents are away and she is not in school. Her grandmother is a high society woman, who is used to throwing upscale garden parties, and ladies tea socials and teaches Cassandra to act as a "proper" lady. This training suits her well among her friends at school who were raised in the same way, but it hurts her when she interacts with people who have not been taught that way. Her parents both do work for the government and used to be members of G.I. Joe before the team disbanded. Cassandra is aware of the children of her parents' friends, but does not get along well with many of them because she can not understand or relate to them.

Shannon Marie Hauser

Nickname: Nins, Shanananin

**Birthdate**: January 30, 1990

**Age**: 16

**Birthplace and Hometown**: Atlanta, GA

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: **Shana O'Hara, code name Scarlett and Conrad Hauser, code name Duke

**Hair**: Red

**Eyes**: Blue

**Height**: 5'3"

**Hobbies and interests**: Karate and Tae Kwon Do, gymnastics, drawing, running, boys, shopping, teaching beginning Tae Kwon Do to young children

**Personality**: Boy-crazy and flirtatious, Shannon is not just a "girly-girl"-she can kick anybody's butt who dare to call her that. She's a third degree black belt in both Tae Kwon Do and Karate, and an accomplished gymnast. She's very bubbly, friendly, and outgoing and she gets along with mostly everyone. But don't get her angry… she has a nasty Irish temper!

**Background**: The second of 5 children, Shannon is accustomed to being surrounded by her large and loving southern family. She's very lucky to have her grandfather and her aunts and uncles living nearby. She has continued in the family tradition of studying the martial arts and recently began teaching classes at the dojo her grandfather runs. An honor student at her high school in all her classes, she has become very close with Abby and Beth through the years when their parents all visit.

Daniel Patrick Hauser

**Nicknames**: Dan, Danny

**Birthdate**: December 27, 1988

**Age**: 17

**Birthplace and Hometown**: Atlanta, GA

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team:** Shana O'Hara, code name Scarlett and Conrad Hauser, code name Duke

**Hair**: Strawberry blonde

**Eyes**: Blue

**Height**: 6'2"

**Hobbies and interests**: Martial arts, computers, football, and baseball, playing guitar, meditating

**Personality**: Focused, calm, friendly, and a born leader. A natural athlete who doesn't let the success he's enjoyed on the football field and the baseball diamond go to his head. Very protective of his younger brothers and sisters, especially Shannon.

**Background**: A great deal of responsibility often lies on his shoulders in terms of taking care of his younger siblings when his parents are away on business. He's happy to have his extended family living so close by to help him out but sometimes he just feels like he needs a break from everyone. Whenever he feels the need to get some quiet time, he can be found meditating in his grandfather's dojo or working on his website that he designed himself. He also teaches martial arts at the dojo.

Hallie Christine Armbruster

**Nickname**: Hal, Hallie-Cat

**Birthdate**: March 25, 1990

**Age**: 16

**Birthplace**: Fairfax, VA

**Hometown:** Woonsocket, RI

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team:** Bradley Armbruster, code name Ace

**Hair**: Blondish-Brown

**Eyes**: Brown

**Height**: 5'5"

****

Hobbies and interests: Dancing, shopping, photography, flying planes, playing poker

****

Personality: Focused, determined, and observant of her surroundings. Some of her peers don't understand what drives her and as a result, she bumps heads with some kids. But those who do understand what goes on in her head find her to be a loyal and caring friend.

****

Background: She moved with her parents and brother to Rhode Island at age five, just in time to start kindergarten. She always took after her father's fascination with flying, has been flying with him since age 12. She is extremely smart, but it doesn't always show in her school grades, especially in her English and Social studies classes. 

Christopher David Hardy

**Nicknames**: Chris

**Birthdate**: April 1, 1989

**Age**: 17

****

Birthplace and Hometown: Brady, TX

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team:** Bill Hardy, code name Wild Bill

**Hair**: Blonde

**Eyes**: Green

**Height**: 6'3"

****

Hobbies and interests: country music, riding horses, football, wrestling, baseball, working on his parent's ranch

****

Personality: Growing up in Texas, Chris has taken on sort of the cowboy role, complete with rounding up cattle and roping. His is amiable and funny, getting along with everyone around him. He finds it funny when the girls around him start throwing themselves at him, but he is very modest about his 

good looks.

****

Background: Growing up in his father's hometown has advantages and disadvantages. His grandparents are around to look out for him and his sister but at school, his father's old teachers are watching him closely also. As a result, he is very careful to be sure that he is always on his best behavior because everything gets back to his parents. He is an average student and has nobody who he would call an enemy.

Alayna Alexa Hardy

**Nicknames**: Aly, Layna

**Birthdate**: June 24, 1991

**Age**: 15

**Birthplace and Hometown**: Brady, TX

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team:** Bill Hardy, code name Wild Bill

**Hair**: Strawberry blonde

**Eyes**: Blue

**Height**: 5'7"

****

Hobbies and interests: country music, cheerleading, dancing, horseback riding, eating, shopping, freshman class president

****

Personality: Full of pep and spirit, just as any cheerleader would be. She's not quite as into the cowboy spirit as her older brother, but she does have the same love of country music and has been spotted line dancing with her family on several occasions. Amiable, funny, and well aware of the fact that she is becoming quite a beauty. 

****

Background: The stereotypical cheerleader, except for the airheadedness. She's very pretty, tiny, bubbly, and fun. She loves the feeling of living in a small town… most of the time. Alayna is careful to watch what she does and says every second of the day however, as she knows that her teachers and neighbors tell her parents everything that goes on. The love shown to her and her brother by her mother and father is translated into the relationships she's formed with her friends. She is a good listener and will always stand up for what she believes in, which has resulted in her being elected as freshman class president at Brady High School. 

Carla Michelle Greer

**Nicknames**: none

**Birthdate**: August 12, 1990

**Age**: 15

**Birthplace and Hometown**: Concord, MA

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team**: Carl Greer, code name Doc

**Hair**: Black

**Eyes**: Brown

**Height**: 5'4"

****

Hobbies and interests: Member of the Youth Squad for the volunteer ambulance corps, computers, softball

****

Personality: Quiet, calm, rarely gets angry with anyone. People come to her with their problems because they know that she will listen and come up with a rational solution. Exceptionally smart.

****

Background: Carla dreams of following in her father's footsteps and going to Harvard to study pre-med. and then Johns Hopkins for medical school. She spent her entire life working herself to the bone to be able to get into one of the most prestigious prep schools in the nation, Phillips Andover Academy, which is closeby her house. She did well enough to earn herself a full scholarship. She knows Cassandra, but unlike Cassandra, who is a boarder (she lives at the school during the year), Carla is a day student so she can go home to her family each day. Her and Cassandra don't always get along though because they had two very different upbringings, Cassandra heavily influenced by her high society grandmother and Carla with her deeply rooted family values that keep her grounded. 

Anna Lisa Pine

**Nicknames**: Annie

**Birthday**: February 19, 1991

**Age**: 15

**Birthplace**: Denver, CO

**Hometown**: Fort Collins, CO

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team:** Albert Pine, code name Alpine

**Hair**: Black

**Eyes**: Brown

**Height**: 5'3"

****

Hobbies and interests: skiing, hiking, mountain climbing, camping, whitewater rafting

****

Personality: Witty sarcastic humor, a huge smile, and confident attitude accompany this young lady wherever she goes. 

****

Background: Living in the Rocky Mountains gives Anna and her divorced father the ability to pursue their passion for outdoor activities. By the time she was eight, she was skiing expert hills at the local ski resorts and made the varsity alpine skiing team at school in junior high school. She shares her father's enthusiasm and loves when he comes to see her events at school so she can show off just how good she is.

Kaelin Elizabeth Parker

**Nicknames**: Kay

**Birthdate**: November 6, 1991

Age: 15

**Birthplace**: Washington D.C.

**Hometown**: Phoenix, AZ

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: **Blaine Parker, code name Mainframe

****

Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Cobra: Zarana (AN: I always like the story line w/ Mainframe and Zarana paired up… this story attempts to explain what would make Zarana ultimately change her loyalties to the Joe's side… you'll see what I mean as the story progresses

**Hair**: Reddish-brown

**Eyes**: Green

**Height**: 5'8"

****

Hobbies and interests: plays flute, computers, organization, running, student government, and biology 

****

Personality: Kind, caring, sweet, and levelheaded. Kaelin is incredibly organized and always put together.

****

Background: Kaelin has everything she needs and wants- a loving family, good grades, musical talent, athletic ability, and a trusty organizer too keep herself on task. She has always been one to keep everything in life planned and orderly. Her bedroom is spotless, her locker has shelves, her CD's are alphabetized, and she is the perfect ninth grade class secretary at her school for she keeps all the records of every meeting. Kaelin is an incredible long distance runner, able to run a mile in 5 minutes 30 seconds and placing second in the state of Arizona at the state track meet- as a freshman. She has her father's talent with computers and her mother's tall, lean build. If only she could keep her brother as organized as she is…

Cole Parker

**Nicknames**: none

**Birthdate**: July 5, 1989

**Age**: 17

**Birthplace**: Washington D.C.

**Hometown**: Phoenix, AZ

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: **Blaine Parker, code name Mainframe

**Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Cobra:** Zarana

**Hair**: Brown

**Eyes**: Brown

**Height**: 6'0"

****

Hobbies and interests: Rugby, history channel, debate team, running, playing trombone

****

Personality: Scattered, messy, disorganized… in essence, the exact opposite of his sister. He is well liked by his peers but his friends count on his younger sister to keep him on time and semi-organized. He keeps a good sense of humor about his lack of organization but without Kaelin, he'd completely fall apart. He is a very opinionated person, who always speaks his mind, even if he doesn't always think about what he says before he says it.

****

Background: Cole leans on his sister to keep him together. His parents do their best to keep Cole on track with his schoolwork and with his activities, but the truth is, his sister Kaelin is who keeps him together. He is incredibly close to his sister, so much so that he lets her come along with his friends wherever they go. His best friends, Chris Hardy and Danny Hauser live too far away to help keep him in check, but they add their help whenever they can. Overall, it's his sister's influence that has kept him on a good path his entire life.

Aaron Joseph Ito

**Nickname:** A.J.

**Birthdate**: September 2, 1990

**Age**: 15

**Birthplace and Hometown: **North Hollywood, CA

****

Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: MacArthur Ito, code name Quick Kick

**Hair**: Black

**Eyes**: Brown

**Height**: 5'8"

****

Hobbies and interests: martial arts, watching movies, acting, singing, and telling jokes

****

Personality: Energetic, focused, practical joker, always ready to make people laugh and cheer his friends up.

****

Background: A child of Hollywood, A.J. was bitten by the acting bug as a young child. In between his schoolwork and martial arts classes, he is either auditioning for work or actually working on the sets of the plethora of production studios near his house. His focus helps him manage to do well in school, although he does miss many days for when he works.

Alicia Yvonne Hinton

**Nicknames: **Ali

**Birthdate**: May 20, 1989

**Age**: 17

**Birthplace**: Baltimore, MD

**Hometown**: Columbia, MD

****

Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: Marvin Hinton, code name Roadblock

**Hair**: Black

**Eyes**: Brown

**Height**: 5'10"

**Hobbies and interests**: cooking, running, basketball, poetry, and singing

****

Personality: With a smile and a song, everything in Alicia's life moves right along… at least that's what she'd say. She's a tough girl but generally gets along with most of her friends. 

****

Background: Her father, a former military man, has taught her everything she needs to know on how to survive- how to cook, how to fix her car, and how to defend herself in a fight. She rarely has to use her fighting skills but in the few times that she has, she has won, no contest. Most kids in school won't go after her because of her immense height and size. A basketball star in her own right, she is already being scouted by colleges for possible recruitment.

Matthew James Hinton

****

Nicknames: Matt

**Birthdate**: July 23, 1991

**Age**: 14

**Birthplace**: Baltimore, MD

**Hometown**: Columbia, MD

****

Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: Marvin Hinton, code name Roadblock

**Hair**: Black

**Eyes**: Brown

**Height**: 6'1"

****

Hobbies and interests: basketball, cooking, singing, writing, journalism, football, working on the school newspaper

****

Personality: Tall for his age and still growing, Matt looks to be an intimidating force to reckon with but he has a heart of gold. Highly competitive, naturally curious about everything around him, driven, and motivated, Matt has a lot to live up to- his sister is an all-star basketball player, and he is well on his way to becoming a star in his own right. 

****

Background: Much like his sister in terms of interests and abilities, the family love of poetry didn't quite get passed on to him. His writing took on a different form- journalism. Matt has not only established a name for himself not only on the basketball court, but also as a writer for the school newspaper. He's grown up in a loving family and they all support each others interests and desires. He and Alicia sometimes fight, just as any other brother and sister, but he knows he can count on her to stand up for him in any situation.

Emily Rose Katzenbogen

**Nicknames**: Em, Emmy

**Birthdate**: September 14, 1990

**Age**: 15

****

Birthplace and Hometown: Duluth, MN

****

Parent(s) formerly involved w/ Joe team: David Katzenbogen, code name Bazooka

**Hair:** Blonde

**Eyes**: Blue

**Height**: 5'4"

**Hobbies and interests**: skiing, soccer, hockey, plays clarinet, writing

****

Personality: Caring and quiet, Emily often spends time to herself to keep herself grounded. She loves all her friends dearly and does not hate anybody, not even Cassandra. Emily is overall a calm, loving, levelheaded person who usually has a rational solution to every problem.

****

Background: Growing up in Northeastern Minnesota, Emily adores the snow and cold weather that accompanies her surroundings. She live a modest but comfortable life and has two loving parents who make sure that she gets to see her friends from around the country when she can. As a Minnesotan, she has grown up surrounded by the snow and cold and has grown up loving hockey, so much so that she started playing with a boys pee-wee team until a girls team had been formed. 

Emily feels closer to her friends from outside Minnesota because she feels like they are all kindred spirits, whereas her friends at school could never understand the connection she shares with other friends. She works hard to balance her two sets of friends and maintains two very strong, but very separate sets of relationships. 

And a quick overview of what our favorite Joes are doing (in 2006)

Alpine: Army reservist, divorced, raising Annie on his own, teaches mountaineering classes and leads outdoor survival training courses

Bazooka: Back in Minnesota, Army reservist, works in security

Cover Girl: mechanical engineer, army reservist, divorced, raises twins on her own

Doc: Doing medical research in Boston, married

Duke and Scarlett: married, living in Atlanta. Both are still involved with the military, playing drill instructors at Fort Benning. Occasionally they are sent on field missions but nothing long term so they can spend time with their five children

Flint and Lady Jaye: Work out of the Pentagon in D.C. Married, one child, but have their daughter in boarding school. Lady Jaye has resolved her differences with her mother and their daughter spends a lot of time with LJ's mother.

Mainframe and Zarana: Married, Mainframe runs his own computer company out of Phoenix with Zarana helping him. 

Shipwreck: Naval reservist, ended up becoming a sixth grade teacher, only doing so at first so he could have summer's off to take his daughter boating during July and August. Divorced

Wild Bill: Married, Owns his own ranch back in his hometown in Texas

And now on to the story… Enjoy!

June 20, 1986

"Shipwreck!" Cover Girl's voice came from the doorway. She walked into the rec room to see Shipwreck lounged out on the couch, half asleep. He jumped at the sound of her voice and gave her a sly half-smile upon seeing her.

"Well, good afternoon," he greeted her, tipping his hat at her. "What brings your pretty face my way today?"

She rolled her eyes and tightened her lips into a frown. "We're supposed to be guarding the perimeter this afternoon," she said to him. "And we're about to be late."

If there was one thing Cover Girl hated it was arriving to her post late. She had never been late for an assigned duty shift and she wasn't about to let this afternoon be the first time. Of course, it had been more difficult when she realized that her partner for the shift, Shipwreck, was nowhere to be seen. It drove her crazy that he could be so lazy and careless about his work when she was so driven and professional about what she did.

"It can't be that late," he argued. "Our shift starts at one. And it's only…"

"Twelve-fifty," Cover Girl finished. "We have to leave, now!" She went over and grabbed his right ear, dragging him along with her to head outside.

"Ow! Hey, you don't have to pull so hard!" he complained. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

They turned the corner to head for the main doors, which led outside headquarters, when they stopped dead in their tracks. Standing in front of them, were a crowd of teenagers who were looking confused and out of place. Every one of the children felt their jaws drop to the floor upon seeing the two Joes standing before them. 

"Oh. My. God," one girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes said. 

"Shipwreck, I think we need to get General Hawk," Cover Girl said, her eyes never leaving the group of teenagers standing before her. 

He nodded and ran for their CO's office


	2. Chapter 2

June 20, 2006

Abigail Delgado and her best friend Elizabeth Krieger were beyond excited. They had just finished their last final exam for the school year, and were looking forward to starting their summer vacation. Beth's twin brother, David, was with them as they stepped off the bus and ran down the block into Abby's house, dropping their books onto the dining room table before dropping themselves onto the living room sofa and chairs.

The three sixteen-year olds sat in silence for a few moments, allowing their brains to rest after having spent the last three hours taking their biology final. Abby was the first one to speak. "Ten weeks," she said. "This is the beginning of ten glorious weeks of getting to lounge around, go to the beach, hang with our friends, party every night, and best of all, no homework to worry about. What do we want to do first?"

"Sleep," Beth said. "My brain needs a rest after having spent the week getting fried by all those tests."

"I have to agree with Beth," Dave said. "I plan to sit on this couch and do nothing for the rest of the day." As though he were trying to prove his point, he stretched himself out and rested his head on the armrest.

"Come on, guys, it's eighty-five degrees outside," Abby complained. "I'm hot and sweaty and I know that you guys are too. Let's at least go swimming."

"You can go," Beth said. "I'm going to stay here and catch up on my soaps and my sleep."

"As appealing as that sounds," Abby said, rolling her eyes, "I think we need to move around a little." To get her point across, she grabbed Beth's arm and pulled her off the couch, then went over and did the same to her twin brother. 

"Hey!" David complained.

"Oh, come on, Dave," Abby said sweetly. "I know you want to get outside and throw me into the pool." She batted her eyelashes at him for the extra effect.

David knew he was going to give in as soon as Abby batted her eyelashes. He had to give her credit; she certainly knew his weak spots. "Oh, all right," he told her. "I'll go."

"Coward," his sister complained. 

"Come on you two babies," Abby said. "My dad isn't going to be home until four so that gives us three hours of time to ourselves."

The three of them ventured outside towards the pool. Beth caught sight of three strange men rushing towards them but before she could warn her brother and best friend, they were all engulfed in a bright flash of white light.

!!!!!!!!

Shannon Hauser loved summer vacation. She and her siblings had been off of school since the beginning of the month and her parents had allowed her and her older brother Daniel to visit their friends Alayna and Chris Hardy in Texas. Their other friends, Kaelin and Cole Parker, who lived in Phoenix, Arizona, were also visiting for a few days, so the six teenagers were having a blast at the Hardy's sprawling ranch, riding horses, wandering around town, and enjoying traditional Texas barbecues almost every night. And the best part was, neither Shannon nor Danny had to worry about baby-sitting their three younger siblings for the next two weeks.

"I kinda feel bad that Abby, Beth, and David couldn't come along too," Shannon told her friends that afternoon as they were riding their horses through the woods on the Hardy property. 

"Yeah, same here," Alayna said. "But they aren't supposed to get out of school until the end of the week."

"Sucks for them," Chris said. 

"I wonder why they get out so late though," Cole wondered out loud. "All of us got out three weeks ago."

"They started school two weeks after us," Kaelin reminded him. "And they got a week off in February that none of us got. If anything, they have the sweeter end of the deal."

"Ah, here we are," Chris said suddenly, as the group arrived in a clearing. They had all planned a picnic in the woods for lunch that day and rode their respective horses there, after Chris and Alayna had shown Shannon, Danny, Kaelin, and Cole how to load their horse with supplies to travel. 

After everyone had dismounted their horses, Chris and Alayna took care to tie each of the horses to trees along the perimeter of the clearing while the other four teenagers set about setting up blankets and spreading out the assortment of sandwiches, snacks, and drinks they had brought with them. 

"It's so peaceful out here," Shannon commented as soon as they all settled down and started to eat.

"Yeah, that's why we like this spot," Alayna told her. "Sometimes I'll come out here when I'm not having a good day just to be alone and to calm myself down."

"You're lucky to have all this property, too," Danny told her. "We just have our dinky little backyard in Atlanta. We only have our trees to hide in."

"Yeah, well at least your backyard isn't bordered by cacti," Kaelin told him. "All we have is the cactus garden and a ten-foot concrete fence to keep the coyotes out."

"Oh, lovely," Shannon said sarcastically. 

"Shh!" Danny said suddenly. "Did you guys hear that?"

Chris gave him a confused look. "Hear what?"

"Just listen for a sec," Danny told them.

The six of them became very silent as they listened carefully for any sounds in the woods. Shannon could hear something heading towards them very slowly. She nodded to her brother and whispered, "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," he whispered. 

"Could be an animal," Chris said quietly. 

"Just to be on the safe side, maybe we should pack this stuff up-" Danny was cut off by the sound of the horses kicking up and neighing loudly at something near them. Shannon and Danny, as skilled martial artists, immediately took a defensive stance, standing back to back as they scanned the area around them. Chris and Alayna slowly made their way towards the horses in an attempt to calm them down. They didn't make it far, however, as they were quickly surrounded by a group of masked men. Shannon and Danny started fighting the men off, but stood down when they saw their friends had already been taken prisoner. 

"I would not continue fighting if I were you," said a voice laced with a heavy Eastern European accent. 

The friends all turned towards the direction of the voice, but before they could get a glimpse of their would be captor, they were surrounded by a brilliant flash of white light.

!!!!!!!!

"Hallie, these pictures came out amazing!" Carla Greer said, as she looked as a stack of photographs her friend Hallie Armbruster had taken. Hallie was an amateur photographer and almost always had her camera with her. These particular pictures had been taken at a recent sweet sixteen party their friends Abby, Beth, and Dave had held in New York.

"That's what I said when I developed them," Hallie told her. "Even our parents look good in these pictures. And I never thought that would be possible." Carla got a good laugh as she finished flipping through the pictures and then handed them back to her friend, who placed them in one of the shopping bags at her feet.

Hallie Armbruster and Carla Greer didn't get an opportunity to spend much time together during the school year, even though they only lived an hour away from each other. However, now that school had ended, the two best friends had spent at least two days each week with one another. 

On this particular afternoon, Hallie had gone up to Carla's house in Concord, MA, just a quick hour's drive from her own home in Woonsocket, RI. From Carla's house, the pair had decided to spend the day in Quincy Market in Boston, twenty-five minutes from Carla's house. Quincy Market was a large outdoor market encompassing a two-block area, with hundreds of shops and restaurants just across the street from the New England Aquarium. 

"You know, this is just the kind of afternoon we needed," Hallie said, leaning back in the restaurant chair she was sitting in. The two girls had stopped at a little outdoor café for lunch, where each of them had ordered a grilled chicken caesar salad and a glass of water. 

"Yeah," Carla agreed. "Nice, relaxing, no homework…" she let her voice trail off as a grin spread across her face. Carla had started attending the prestigious Phillips Academy Andover at the start of ninth grade, and although she thought it was a good school academically, she couldn't stand most of the kids she went to school with. She had some other friends there who were day students like her, but most of the boarding students drove her crazy, especially Cassandra Fairborne, who she had known practically since birth.

"And most of all, no Cassandra," Hallie finished for her. Hallie also knew Cassandra. The girls had all known each other since birth, as their parents had all had long careers in the military and all had served with the G.I. Joe team before it had been disbanded. The former Joes still kept in touch with one another and as a result, their children had all become close friends. 

Cassandra was the only child of Alison and Dashiell Fairborne who now lived in Fort Meade in Maryland and still worked with the military. Her parents were often on assignment for the government and as a result, she spent a great deal of time with her rich grandmother on Martha's Vineyard. It was her grandmother who paid for her to attend Andover and it was from her grandmother that she learned how to live like a high society child. Carla, Hallie, and all the other Joes' children couldn't stand her snobbiness and condescending attitude. However, Carla always got to see it firsthand because she dealt with Cassandra on an almost daily basis during the school year.

"And thank God for that," Carla said with a smile. "If everything works out the way I want it too, I won't have to see her for the next three months."

"Which leaves the two of us to go ahead and do our shopping in peace and quiet," Hallie told her. 

The waiter arrived then and left their check on the table. The two girls fished inside their purses for the money, left it on the table, and continued strolling around the market. 

Suddenly, Hallie saw a man run up to her and snatch her purse right off her shoulder. "What the- hey!" she exclaimed. Hallie took after the man, running as fast as her legs could carry her even though she was wearing sandals with one-and-a-half inch heels on them.

"Wait, Hallie!" Carla yelled after her. Carla followed after her, as the man turned into an alleyway. Both girls stopped in the alleyway. The man had dropped out of sight. However, Hallie's purse was strangely sitting in the middle of the alley, abandoned and looking completely out of place. 

"That was weird," Hallie said, walking over to where her purse sat and looking through it to make sure nothing was taken.

"Is everything there?" Carla asked.

"Yeah, looks like it," Hallie said. 

"Well, that is good," said a third, unfamiliar male voice. 

The girls turned around to face the man, but instead, were greeted by a bright white light.

!!!!!!!!

Cassandra Fairborne loved her daily walks across campus. She had chosen to stay at Andover for the first summer session to get an extra class out of the way to free up her schedule for field hockey season next term. She loved how spacious and green the campus was, with trees and flowers lining almost every path and inviting everybody to admire them. 

It wasn't like her to stray off from her daily path, but today she felt like cutting through the woods to get to the dining hall across campus. It would be a nice change of scenery and allow her to see a part of campus she hadn't had the chance to explore during her previous two years at Andover. 

The woods provided a nice escape from her schoolwork and smelled of tiger lilies and honeysuckle. She was so entranced by her natural surroundings that she never heard or saw the man coming right at her. All she saw was the bright flash of light in her eyes.

!!!!!!!!

Aaron Ito, known to all his friends and his casting agent as A.J., had always loved the summer. It gave him time to work more extensively on his martial arts training and gave him more time to go on auditions for television shows and movies. 

On this particular afternoon, he had been auditioning for a commercial for McDonald's at a casting agency near his home in North Hollywood, CA. He had gotten out of the audition earlier than he anticipated and decided to wander around the neighborhood before his father picked him up. There was a tiny community park there, which had a little pond and bridge overlooking it. He walked over to the bridge, and stood looking over the pond. He noticed a man come up to stand next to him, but said nothing to him.

"It's a lovely view, isn't it?" the man said to A.J.

"Yeah, it's pretty nice," A.J. told him. "It's peaceful. It's kind of a contrast to the rest of the city."

"Well, enjoy this, because it's the most peace you'll have in a long time," the man told him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" A.J. asked suspiciously, turning to face the man.

FLASH! A.J.'s answer came in the form of an engulfing white light.

!!!!!!!!

Emily Kasnebogen loved everything about living in Minnesota. Well, except for the length of the winter. She liked the cold, but she wished it didn't last quite so long. But other than that, she loved it. During the summer, it was warm and comfortable, providing the perfect weather to play street hockey with her younger brother, walk through the park with her boyfriend, and play soccer with her best friends from school. 

What made everything seem even better now, was that Emily was out of school for the summer and could spend every day basking in the warm glow of the sunshine, swimming in her best friend Amy's pool, and generally doing whatever she felt like doing each and every day for three months.

Emily was walking to a park near her house in Duluth, MN to join her friends Amy, Julie, and Kathy. They had decided to rent paddleboats for the afternoon and paddle around Lake Superior, which separated where they were in Minnesota and the city of Superior, WI. It was something the girls had wanted to do for months and now that all of them had a free afternoon, they had decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and do it.

On her way to the park, Emily saw a poor little old man struggling with a load of packages. She felt bad for the man, who appeared to be in his late sixties, and she went over to offer him some help. He accepted it gratefully and she followed him to his apartment a block away, carrying some of his bags. Once he had unlocked his door, he allowed Emily to go inside first, directing her to put the bags down on the dining room table. He thanked Emily for her help, and, just before she turned to leave, tried to give her a five-dollar bill. "No, you don't have too," Emily insisted.

"Oh, I insist," the man told her.

"No, really, I couldn't," Emily said. 

"Well, how about this," the man said, as he pulled out what appeared to be a pen from the pocket of his sport coat. Before Emily had a chance to ask him why he was giving her a pen, he pushed down on the top and a white light surrounded Emily where she stood.

!!!!!!!!

Anna Lisa Pine, Annie as her friends knew her, was looking forward to her vacation in Maryland. Her friends, Alicia and Matt Hinton, lived in Columbia, MD, just outside of Baltimore, and they'd invited her to spend a week with them while her father was on a business trip in Washington DC. She'd been on this trip before, leaving behind her Rocky Mountain view in her Fort Collins, CO home to go to a home near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, but she liked the smell of the harbor, watching the boats come in and out and walking around the different shops and sampling the fresh fish from restaurants in the area.

She knew that Alicia and Matt were going to meet her at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and now that Alicia had her driver's license, she could drive to the airport on her own without having to rely on her father. Once she and her father stepped off the airplane, they made their way down to the baggage claim area, where she met up with her two friends. 

The girls squealed as soon as they saw one another and exchanged hugs with one another. Annie then turned and gave Matt a hug as well. Annie's dad smiled at the exchange. "Well, I'm happy that you kids are so happy," he quipped. 

"Hi, Mr. Pine," Alicia said kindly.

"Hey, Mr. P," Matt said.

"Hey, kids," he said. "I hope it's no trouble to have Annie here for a few days."

"Not at all," Alicia said. "My basketball camp doesn't start for another two weeks so I'll be around and Matt's basketball camp doesn't start for another week. We'll both be around to show her all the sights and we can both check out that new mall that just opened up."

"There's a new mall?" Annie asked. "Didn't you already have two of them around here?"

"Three, but this one you'll definitely love. There's this really cool outdoors store in there that specializes in stuff for hiking and camping and rafting…" Alicia let her voice trail off as she saw the sparkle that entered Annie's eyes. If there was one thing on earth that Annie adored, it was anything that dealt with the outdoors.

"We are so there!" Annie exclaimed.

"You have to leave the airport first sweetheart," her father reminded her. 

"Oh, yeah. Okay, I'll see you later dad," Annie told him.

He gave her a little kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you soon, hon." Her father then walked away from the teenagers, heading off towards the rental car stand while the kids gathered Annie's suitcase and headed off to the parking lot.

"Geez, it's hot out here," Annie commented as she stepped outside.

"Well, wearing jeans wasn't such a hot idea, was it?" Matt teased, pointing out her choice of clothing for the day.

"It was cold at home. I'll just have to change when I get to your house," Annie told him. "I just hope the car isn't too hot."

"It better not be," Annie said with a grin. "I got a space in the parking garage."

As the trio neared Alicia's Toyota Camry, they saw a strange man lurking in the shadows near the car. 

"Who the hell…?" Annie asked, bewildered and confused.

"Welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives," the man's voice said darkly. He was fiddling with something in his hands.

"Who are you?" Annie asked, feeling a little frightened, but desperately trying not to let the man know it.

The response came in the form of a violently bright white flash of light.

!!!!!!!!


	3. Chapter 2

June 20, 1986

Abby woke up to find herself surrounded by not only Beth and David, but also all her other friends from around the country- Emily, Shannon, Alayna, Chris, Annie, Alicia, Matt, Carla, Danny, Hallie, Kaelin, Cole, A.J., and even Cassandra. She frowned upon seeing Cassandra, then became curious as to how all of them ended up in the same room.

The room itself was sparsely furnished, holding only a hideous gray sectional couch and an ancient looking television set sitting on a wooden table. The rug was the same gray color as the couch and was a far cry from the fluffy blue shag carpet that Abby had laid out on her bedroom floor.

She had a pounding headache. "Man, what a trip," she mumbled as she rubbed her head.

"What the hell happened?" Abby turned and saw Danny waking up and rubbing his head. 

"That's a good question," Abby said. "I was hoping you had the answer."

"Abby?" he asked incredulously. He looked around the room and saw the other kids around him as well. "How'd we all get here?"

"I don't know. Last thing I remember, Beth, David, and I were about to go swimming in the pool at my house to celebrate surviving our last final exam," Abby told him.

"Cole, Kaelin, Chris, Alayna, Shannon, and I were having a picnic in the woods by Chris and Alayna's house when we were attacked by some guys in masks. The last thing I remember seeing was this weird burst of white light," Danny told her.

"White light?" A.J. said. "I saw that too. But I was in a park near the casting agency I had my audition at today."

"I was helping an old man with his groceries and he pushed some button on a pen he was trying to give me when I had a light flash in my face," Emily cut in.

Cassandra cut in as well. "I was walking through the woods at Andover when an unfamiliar man walked straight at me and flashed a light in my eyes."

"Well, Hallie and I got zapped in an alleyway in Quincy Market," Carla told them.

"So wait a second," Kaelin said. "I see a pattern here. All of us saw some strange light before passing out and ending up here."

"Wherever 'here' is," Dave said.

"Well, I guess we should leave this gross room and find out exactly where we are," Shannon said to them.

The kids all nodded in agreement and quietly tiptoed to the door, which to their surprise was unlocked. "Well, we're not locked in. That's a good start," Annie said.

Danny led them all outside the door and down a long hallway. "Everyone stay together and stay quiet," he instructed them. "I don't want us to arouse any unnecessary attention."

They all crept quietly down the hallway, peeking inside any empty rooms they came across to gain clues to their whereabouts. It was Cassandra who got the first clue.

"Um, I hate to be the bearer of bad news…"

"You're always the bearer of bad news," Annie said sarcastically. "You revel in it."

Cassandra shot her a dirty look and thrust a newspaper into Annie's hands. "Read the date on the top of that, Anna Lisa."

Annie was about to give her a lecture about not calling her by her full name when she noticed what Cassandra was talking about. "Holy… shit," she said slowly. 

"What is it Annie?" Matt asked curiously. 

"Well, if this newspaper is right, which I sure hope it isn't, but I have a bad feeling it is, then we've just gone back in time."

"What are you talking about, back in time?" Shannon asked. "It's physically impossible."

Annie looked around at her friends, her normally smiling face instead looking gravely serious. "According to the cover of this paper, today's date is June 20, 1986. Twenty years to the day in the past."

"None of us are even supposed to be alive yet," Alayna noted.

"God, I hope this isn't true," Hallie said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"It's like my worst nightmare," Matt said.

"Pinch me, I have to be dreaming," Cole said. 

"Let's keep going," Danny said. He was trying to remain composed for everyone else, but the truth was he was just as shocked as the rest of his friends.

The arrived at a T-intersection which offered them the chance to go to the left, the right, or go straight. If they went straight, they'd be going through double doors that led outside the building they were in. "Anybody have a preference as to which way we go?" Danny asked everyone.

Before they could answer, they heard voices coming from behind them.

"Shipwreck, Beach Head is in charge of tonight's duty shift. And I would much rather be five minutes early with him than five minutes late. So would you just stop screwing around and-"

The kids turned around at the same time to observe a dark-haired sailor and an auburn-haired woman with tan coveralls and a brown jacket coming down the hallway towards them. They stopped in their tracks about twenty feet away from the kids and gave them a funny look. Both of them looked very familiar to all of them but it was Abby that gave the first indication that she knew them. 

"Oh. My. God," she said, her face registering shock and disbelief.

"Shipwreck, I think we need to get General Hawk," the woman said. 

The man nodded and ran back the way he came, presumably to get the person known as "General Hawk." Abby watched his retreating form, recalling all the pictures she had in her house. "Beth," she hissed to her best friend. "Call me crazy, but wasn't that my dad?"

"Call me crazier, but I can swear that woman is my mom," Beth whispered back.

"This property is controlled by the federal government," the woman told them. "So all of you had better have a good excuse as to why you're here or I'm going to have to make sure you're all escorted off this base in handcuffs."

Danny stepped forward to speak on behalf of his friends. "Look, I don't know exactly how to explain this so I'll just tell you the truth. None of us are entirely sure of how we got here but we believe that we may have traveled back in time-"

"Don't be ridiculous," the woman said. "Our CO is on the way down here and the truth better come out with him."

Three men were coming down the hallway right then, walking briskly towards the group of teenage friends. One man was the sailor they had seen before, the one that Abby believed was her father. The other two men appeared to be figures of authority. The man in the center had blonde-hair, blue eyes and stood about six-foot-two. The other man was wearing a blue beret, but some wisps of brown hair could be seen from under it. He also stood over six feet tall and had brown eyes. Both of them looked very familiar. 

Danny couldn't believe what he was seeing. The blonde-man walking towards him- it looked just like his dad, only younger. Shannon stepped forward and stood next to him and a quick glance in her direction showed that her jaw was hanging open and her eyes were firmly affixed on the same man that Danny had been staring at. "Danny?" she whispered. "Is that-?"

"My name is Duke," the blonde man said to them as he stopped in front of the children. "I'm second-in-command of the GI Joe team. Our CO is off base right now so all of you will deal with me. This man to the right of me-" he pointed to the man in the beret- "Is Flint. The two of us are going to have to ask all of you some questions as to how you arrived and we'll have to call your parents to get you out of here," he told them.

"Duke? Flint? What, are those code names or something?" Chris asked them. 

"Yes, they are," Flint told him. "Our names are classified."

Cassandra suddenly got a very strange smirk on her face. "Let me try something," she whispered to Danny.

"Cassandra," he hissed frantically. It was too late though. She'd already stepped forward and stood right in front of Flint.

"Your real name wouldn't happen to be Dashiell Fairborne, would it?" she asked confidently.

Flint looked dumbstruck at the girl before him. She seemed to remind him of someone he knew, but he couldn't quite place it. "What if it is?" he asked her.

"I'm Cassandra Fairborne," she introduced. "I'm your daughter."

!!!!!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

After Cassandra's clever introduction, the kids had been escorted into a large conference room located in the opposite end of the building. They had been ordered to give Duke and Flint their full names and Alicia pulled out her drivers license to prove that she had in fact been born in 1989, which, as they soon confirmed, was currently three years in the future. 

"So, what exactly are we waiting for?" Annie asked.

"Maybe they're calling their CO," Cole suggested. "Having us show up here has to be some sort of breach of security."

"Or maybe they're just clearing their heads," Danny suggested. "I mean, Flint just literally came face to face with his future daughter. I'd qualify that as a major shock."

"And what exactly are we supposed to say to them when they come back?" Abby asked. 

"For right now, just tell them the truth," Danny said. "We know that Flint is Cassandra's dad and Shannon and I suspect that Duke might be our dad."

"And we are at GI Joe headquarters," Kaelin started. "Where all of our parents worked before we were born."

"Which means that all of us have at least one of our parents here right now," A.J. added.

They all looked around at each other, letting the weight of what A.J. said sink in. After what seemed like an eternity, Beth finally spoke the words that were on all their minds. "This is really creeping me out. I mean, I'm not even supposed to be born yet, and now I'm going to come face to face with a woman who is going to be my mother. Just thinking about it is giving me a headache."

"I know what you mean," Alayna said. "I'm feeling the same way."

"It could be interesting though," Hallie said. "We get to see what our parents were like before they had us. Maybe some of them were a little wild in their youth cuz then we'll have something on them, you know, so when we get home we can use it as leverage when we want to do something they won't let us do." Hallie had a sly grin plastered on her face and her eyes were twinkling at the possibilities running through her head.

Carla shook her head and laughed at her friend. "You're so bad," she said to her.

"And, I hate to mention it," Dave said to them, "But I think we need to consider the possibility that we won't get home. We might be stuck here… for the rest of our lives."

!!!!!!!!

"Duke, this is completely impossible," Flint said, rubbing his forehead. "There is no way on Earth that that girl is my daughter."

"Well, if those kids are from the future, as they claim, it is possible," Duke told him.

"Don't tell me you actually believe them?" Flint asked him incredulously.

"I'll admit I didn't want to believe their story, but you saw that girls drivers license. It looked pretty real to me," Duke said. "And I got a look at her last name. Hinton."

Flint shook his head in confusion. "Hinton? What are you talking about?"

"Hinton is Roadblock's last name."

"Are you saying the girl could be Roadblock's daughter?" Flint asked him.

"I'm saying that all those kids are probably related to Joes on this base."

"And what are we supposed to do about this?"

Duke took a deep breath and held up a piece of paper. "We have all the children's' names. We'll just go over the names, see if those names correspond with someone here at the base, call those people into the conference room where we have the kids, and go from there."

Flint took the paper and scanned the names listed. "Hauser?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Sounds like two of them are yours."

"Great," Duke said sarcastically. He decided to change the subject. "Have you heard from Hawk yet?" he asked.

Flint shook his head. "No."

"All right, let's just gather those names and have those Joes meet us outside the conference room in an hour."

!!!!!!!!

4:00PM, June 20, 1986

After being approached by Flint and Duke about a secret mission, Roadblock, Shipwreck, Cover Girl, Scarlett, Wild Bill, Ace, Alpine, Bazooka, Mainframe, Doc, Quick Kick, and Lady Jaye met outside the conference room awaiting their two superiors. 

"Does anyone have an idea of what this is about?" Doc asked.

"None here," Scarlett said. "Duke just came up to me and told me to meet him here. He did seem worried about something though."

"How could you tell?" Bazooka asked.

"Just a feeling," she said with a shrug.

Duke and Flint arrived then and the assembled Joes turned to face their superiors. "Okay, we're going to get right down to business. There are about a dozen and a half teenage children inside the conference room right now-"

"So we've been called in to babysit?" Alpine quipped.

"What's so special about them?" Ace said. 

"What is said in the conference room is not to leave the room," Duke directed them. He opened the door and led them into the room.

The kids were scattered around the room chatting in small groups. Some of the girls were practicing dance moves with the others watching them while the boys seemed like they were having a conversation about their favorite sports teams. They turned to look towards the doorway when the Joes stepped inside.

"Hello, Father," Cassandra said to Flint, with a smirk on her face. She saw Lady Jaye shoot him a look that was somewhere between anger and demanding an explanation. He motioned for her to take a seat, but not before he whispered, "I'll explain in a minute." She looked a little confused but did what she was told.

Duke motioned for the kids to take seats along with the Joes. Once everyone was seated, he stood up in the front of the room and began to talk to them. "Earlier today, we were alerted that a group of teenagers had seemingly infiltrated the base," he told the Joes. "After a short talk with them, including gathering their names, and seeing some of their ID's, we have come up with a possible hypothesis as to where, or rather when, they came from."

"When?" Lady Jaye asked. "Are you saying they're from the past or future or something?"

"Future," Flint told her. 

"We don't know how or why, but for some reason they have been sent here, and we're sort of hoping that these children can help us out," Duke said.

"Well, what do you want us to say?" Alayna asked. "None of us really know what happened ourselves. All we've been able to piece together from talking to one another is that we all saw a really bright white light where we were in 2006 before waking up in a room in this building, which we have learned from you is GI Joe Headquarters in 1986."

"Did you all know each other before ending up here?" Scarlett asked.

Shannon nodded vigorously. "That's an affirmative. All of us have at least one parent that used to be a member of the Joe team and since they all keep in touch with one another, we all kinda grew up together. As a matter of fact, my brother and I were visiting Chris and Alayna when we ended up here."

"So were we," Kaelin said, pointing to herself and Cole.

"Wait a second," Cover Girl interjected. "All of you have at least one parent who used to be a member of the Joe team?"

"Yeah," Shannon said.

"So…" Cover Girl glanced around the room at her teammates. "Are you telling us that you and your friends are actually our children?"

Cole looked around at his friends before speaking up on their behalf. He was usually very self-assured when speaking in front of groups of people, namely because he was on the school debate team at home, but right now he was feeling more nervous than he'd ever been. "Um, well, uh, based on, um, what we know about our parents and, uh, of course, knowing what they, um, look like- both in our time and, uh, from pictures we've seen- well, yeah, we are reasonably if not a hundred percent certain that you are our parents." Cole was fidgeting nervously in his seat, twiddling his fingers as he awaited a response to what he had just shared.

The Joes stared dumbfounded at the children for a moment before anyone was able to speak again. "This is crazy!" Shipwreck cried. "There is no way that I have a kid!"

"For once I have to agree with you, you crazy sailor," Cover Girl said.

"Well, you do have a kid," Abby said angrily. "So you're just going to have to suck it up and deal with it you lazy bum!"

Beth snapped her head around to stare at her best friend in disbelief. "Abby!" she hissed. "You can't speak to your dad like that!"

"I just did," she whispered. "And anyways, he doesn't know that I'm his kid yet."

"Now, listen here kid-" Shipwreck started to retort angrily. Cover Girl pulled on his arm and whispered something in his ear. He stared back at Abby curiously, and then walked towards her. 

Abby saw her father- at least his younger self- walk towards her and then start circling around her. She watched him carefully, holding her tongue until he finished looking at her. "What's your name, kid?" he asked her flatly.

"Abby."

"Your full name," he ordered.

"Abigail Elizabeth."

"And your last name?" he pressed.

Abby looked at her friends before answering. "Delgado," she said quietly.

She saw his eyebrows shoot straight up and he sucked in a breath of air. If he was feeling any sort of shock, he was certainly hiding it well. 

"Do you always talk to your father that way?" he asked smugly.

"No. My dad would kick my ass," she quipped.

He let out a sharp laugh. "Smart man," he answered back.

"I know."

"Um, why don't the rest of you kids, uh, introduce yourselves to the group," Duke suggested.

Danny made his presence known, getting up to his full height. His blue eyes and broad shoulders mirrored those of his father. "I'm Daniel Hauser," he introduced himself. "Danny for short." He pointed to his sister. "This is Shannon, my little sister."

Shannon smiled and waved at Duke. "Hi," she said brightly. 

"You're my kids," Duke said simply. 

Danny looked nervously at Shannon, and then over at Scarlett briefly before turning back to Duke. "Well, uh, yeah. You and um…" he tried to subtly nod his head over in Scarlett's direction. Duke snapped his head around in her direction and started to look back and forth between Shannon and Scarlett.

"What?" Scarlett asked. She looked at Shannon and suddenly understood. "Whoa! Are you saying that you're mine?"

"Hi, mom!" Shannon said brightly. 

"I'm not even going to ask about how that happened," Scarlett said as she began to shake her head. She looked directly at Shannon before she continued. "But I suppose I can't deny the fact that you do resemble me. Strongly."

The rest of the kids introduced themselves to their parents-, which seemed a little ridiculous to them but given their circumstances, a necessary evil- and then settled back down at the table seated with their respective parent or parents.

"Well, now that we're all, uh, acquainted," Flint said, looking nervously over at Cassandra. She was sitting with Lady Jaye, who he just learned, was supposedly Cassandra's mother. That was a little shock for him. He knew he loved her with all his heart but he hadn't even thought heavily about marriage- it had crossed his mind, but it had always seemed like such a long way off. 

"We can't really do anything about getting you kids home without first going over everything you may have seen or that you did before you ended up here," Duke told them.

"Got a while?" Annie asked. "Because all of us are going to have different versions of what happened."

Duke leaned forward and looked at her. "I've got all damn night. So start talking."

!!!!!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who's reading this… (Are there people reading this? I don't know… I'm posting all this stuff up together…)

Reviews: I love praise! But then again, who doesn't like having their ego inflated? J Um, as for criticism, NO FLAMES! Flames are mean and mean people suck… hehe… I'll take constructive criticism. And if there's anything you don't quite understand, e-mail me and let me know! 

Disclaimer: I'm broke, don't sue!

Actual disclaimer: Hasbro, Sunbow, Marvel, and everyone else owns G.I. Joe. I'm simply borrowing their characters for my own fictional purposes. The only thing I own are my invented children. 

Just in case disclaimer: In the event you do end up wanting to sue me for "stealing" something, I'm warning you ahead of time I have nothing of worth… just a lot of college loan debt…

The kids had finally gotten all their stories straight by 8:00 that night and they were allowed to get something to eat. Most of them were starving because they hadn't been allowed to get anything to eat. Many of them hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning. 

"Man, I hope there's something decent to eat in this mess hall," Beth said.

"Beth, it's a mess hall. It could be called school cafeteria and it would still taste the same- gross," Abby told her.

"Ew," Beth said as she crinkled her nose in disgust. "Can't we just order a pizza or something?"

"With what money?" Alayna asked.

"I have some on me," Hallie said. "Carla and I were shopping earlier. We have our purses."

"And I have a little in my wallet," Alicia said.

"We can't just blow all our money the first night we're here though," Kaelin told them. "I don't know about you guys, but I sure as heck know that these are the only clothes I have with me and I'm planning on going shopping for something decent tomorrow."

"Decent?" Shannon asked. "We're stuck in the eighties. Big hair, tri-color socks, hi-top sneakers, skintight jeans, hideously oversized sweaters-"

"How do you know so much about eighties fashion?" Carla asked her.

"I watch reruns of eighties TV shows," Shannon told her.

"Well, we need to find something other than these clothes to live in," Kaelin argued. 

"We'll deal with it later," Chris said. "I just want to find something to eat now."

They all walked in silence for a few moments until they arrived at the mess hall. Cole, Chris, and Alayna immediately ran towards the kitchen. "FOOD!" the three of them yelled in unison.

Beth and Abby laughed. "Hey, save some for us!" they shouted.

"If you kids want something good to eat then you kids are in for a real treat," came a voice from inside the kitchen. They all looked up to see Alicia and Matt's father standing in the doorway leading inside, blocking Cole, Alayna and Chris from entering. 

"You're gonna cook for us, Mr. Hinton?" Annie asked. 

"Oh, please say yes," Danny said. "All of us know you're the best cook amongst all of us here." Alicia cleared her throat loudly and gave him a very sharp look. "Well, besides Ali, of course," he added quickly.

Roadblock looked at Alicia with interest. "You think you can cook as good as me, well then get over here and let me see," he said to her.

"You're on," Alicia said with a grin. "But I'm gonna warn you, every recipe you've ever taught me, I only improved on."

Her father laughed at that. "Prove it."

Forty-five minutes later, the kids were all sitting around a large table in the cafeteria and literally inhaling the chicken piccata and angel hair pasta that Alicia and Roadblock had whipped up. "Ali, this is absolutely amazing," Alayna told her. "I wish I knew how to cook as well as you."

"It's a gift," she said with a smile and a shrug.

"Any chance of sharing a little with us?" Beth asked.

"She already did," Matt said with a grin. "With me."

"There's no need to gush over this," Cassandra said airily. "It's good, just not as good as what the cook at my grandmother's house makes for us regularly."

"Good for you," Annie said sarcastically. "Some of us just aren't as _privileged _as you."

"Guys, can we not start a fight over this," Emily said quietly. "We've had enough stress today and having a fight is only going to make all of us more tense."

"Emmy's right," David said. "Let's just all take a deep breath and enjoy our food and then find somewhere to crash for the night because I'm exhausted."

Abby laughed. "You know what's funny?" she asked everyone in between her giggles. "This morning, Beth and Dave and I were stressing out about our biology regents like it was the end of the universe if we didn't pass it. Now look at us. Our final seems like a cakewalk in comparison to the rest of the day."

"Oh, my god!" Shannon exclaimed. "I totally forgot that you guys had a final exam today! How was it?"

"Easy," Beth said. "Thanks to Abby and Dave's excellent tutoring."

"She gives us too much credit," Abby said, rolling her eyes. "She knew the stuff cold, she was just playing dumb so we could have an excuse to hang out with me during finals week."

"Hey, you said those study sessions really helped you!" Beth argued.

"They did," Abby conceded. "I'll admit I probably would have failed if I didn't study."  
"Fail?" Beth asked incredulously. "You're the last person who had to worry about failing. You got straight A's all year in bio."

"Yeah, but if I failed the final-"

"You would have had to repeat the whole year," Beth and David finished with a roll of their eyes.

The rest of the kids laughed at their response. "I'm guessing you've had this conversation before?" Danny asked.

"Only about fifty times a day," Beth said, looking sharply at Abby.

"And what's so bad about being concerned over my grades?" Abby argued.

"Nothing. But you're obsessed," Beth told her.

Abby stuck her tongue out at Beth in response. 

"I'm ready for dessert," Alayna announced. Everyone's heads snapped in her direction and looked at her now empty plate. 

"You're still hungry?" Hallie asked her.

"She's always hungry," Chris said, rolling his eyes at his little sister. 

"Geez, I'll never understand how you stay so tiny when you eat so much," Kaelin told her.

"High metabolism," Alayna said with a shrug.

"Hey, does anybody want some ice cream?" Abby's father's voice said from behind them. The kids turned in their chairs and saw him and Ace, Cover Girl, Mainframe, and Wild Bill with their arms loaded with half gallons of ice cream and an assortment of toppings including chocolate syrup, butterscotch, and sprinkles. 

"Hell, yeah!" Alayna said happily. "Just put it right here in front of me."

"Put it on that table over there," Chris told them, pointing to a table across the mess hall. "If you put it in front of her, there won't be any left for the rest of us." He shot his sister a smirk, which earned him a good-natured slap to the forearm from Alayna.

"Here, let me help you with that stuff," Abby offered, taking some of the tubs of ice cream from her father. She walked over to the table next to where her friends were sitting and began taking the lids of the tubs of ice cream. Shipwreck and Cover Girl were busily placing the toppings and the bowls and spoons out for the kids. 

"Come and get it guys!" Abby said happily. "They got all the good flavors!"

Beth walked over and began to name all the available ice creams for her to choose from. "Cookies and Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip, Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Coffee- ew- Vanilla Fudge Swirl, Orange Sherbet, Butter Pecan- hey, there's no Cookie Dough?" she asked them.

"Cookie Dough ice cream?" Cover Girl asked. "Never heard of it. Sounds like it would be pretty good though."

"Never heard of it?" Beth asked incredulously. "But that's your favorite flavor! You get it all the time when we go to Patty's!"

"To where?"

Abby jumped in then to save Beth. "Uh, Beth? Reminder… we're in the eighties. Possible that Cookie Dough wasn't around then."

Beth looked at Abby like she had three heads, but conceded that she had a point. "Maybe. But I couldn't imagine life without Cookie Dough ice cream."

"Who's Patty?" Cover Girl asked. 

"Oh, she's the lady who owns our favorite ice cream shop at home," Abby explained quickly. "Beth, just pick a flavor in there and make yourself a little mini-sundae before Layna eats it all."

"So what brings y'all down here?" Chris asked. 

"Well, we were talking before, and we figured it might be nice to try and get to know you kids a little bit," Cover Girl said. "Outside of the whole military thing," she added, when she noticed all of them tense up over the possibility of going through questioning again.

"Where's the rest of our parents?" Cole asked.

"They're… around," Wild Bill told them. "Some of them had a duty shift."

"Others are still absorbing the shock," Ace added.

"Well, they'll just have to get over it," Hallie said. "We're here, we're real, and probably not going to go anywhere anytime soon."

"Oh, we found these bags, in an empty room at the other end of the base," Cover Girl said, pointing over to a set of shopping bags that she had placed on a chair at the end of the table the ice cream was laid out on.

"Oh, those are mine and Hallie's," Carla said. "We were shopping in Quincy Market earlier and I was holding the bags before we showed up here."

"Any clothes in there?" Kaelin asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Can I borrow something to wear tomorrow?"

"NO! This is what I'm going to wear!" Carla exclaimed.

"I was going to suggest taking some of you kids to buy some new clothes tomorrow," Cover Girl suggested. "We're not quite sure how long you'll be here and I know you probably don't want to live in the same clothes for more than a day or so."

"I'm already ready to change my clothes," Kaelin said. "These are covered in horse hair."

"Oh, come on Kay," her brother teased. "A little dirt won't kill you."

She shot her brother a dirty look and crinkled her nose in disgust. "I'm ready for a shower, a good book, and a long nap. The only good thing about still being in these clothes is that my Palm Pilot is still in my pocket."

"You brought your Palm Pilot on the trail ride?" Cole asked her incredulously. "Kay, you know I love you, but you're just a little anal."

"What's a Palm Pilot?" Mainframe asked.

"It's a handheld electronic organizer- a miniature computer, if you will," she explained. "It's my lifeline to ultimate organization."

"One thing you should know about your daughter," Cole said to Mainframe, "is that she is the most ultra-organized human being on earth."

"What's so bad about being organized?" he asked.

"She makes organization look like an extreme sport," he said.

"And it's a good thing I do," Kaelin retorted. "Without me, you'd fall apart, Mr. Slob-of-the-Year."

Chris and Danny snickered. "Don't you guys side with her now too," Cole complained. 

"Sorry man," Danny said. "But she's right."

"Yeah, without Kaelin keeping you together, you'd never get anything done," Chris added.

Cole looked temporarily hurt before Mainframe stepped in. "Hey, don't worry about it," he told Cole. "I was a little messy as a kid too. It'll get better, I promise."

"Thanks, Dad. But you always tell me that, and I still feel like it's helpless," Cole said with a frown. 

"Okay, first things first. Call me Mainframe. This is still a little weird for me to be called Dad. And second off, listen to your dad. He knows what he's talking about, even if it doesn't seem like it right now."

Cole smiled and nodded. "I'll have to remember that the next time my dad has that talk with me."

"AHA!" Hallie cried out triumphantly. Everyone's heads snapped in her direction as she pulled out what appeared to be the photo envelope. "The pictures from Abby and Beth and Dave's party are still here," she said happily.

"Are these the ones you took?" Abby asked excitedly.

"Mm-hmm. I showed them to Carla earlier," Hallie said.

"You took them?" Ace asked her skeptically.

"Yeah, I do amateur photography," Hallie explained. "I took photography in school this year and I kinda fell in love with it. My parents are supposed to be building me a dark room so I can develop film at home instead of just using the lab at school."

"So you developed these too?" 

"Yeah, I'm into the whole process."

"So lemme see these pictures!" Beth said. 

"They are amazing!" Carla gushed. "I saw them at lunch today."

"Ooh!" Emily said. "Hallie, please tell me you made doubles of these!"

"I could," she said. "I brought the negatives too."

"Hey, this is a really great one of Laura," Dave said as he showed Abby a picture of their friend Laura Rizzo. 

"Was she the one saying that she was the Tick?" Danny said. Abby nodded. "Yeah, she was pretty funny."

"Hey, look at the cute picture of Alayna and Chris!" Alicia teased.

"Beth! You and Abby look soo good!" Annie said.

"A.J., I still can't believe that you and Matt did the running man!" Abby giggled, referring to her friend from school, Matt McManus.

"I can," Danny teased. "Everyone knows that A.J. likes to be the center of attention."

"Yeah, but so does Matt," Abby pointed out. "The two of them together was priceless."

"Oh, hey, here's one with your family, Kay," Hallie told Kaelin.

"I don't remember you getting a picture of us," Cole said.

"Yeah, it was right after dessert," Kaelin reminded him. "Mom and Dad were going to dance and we happened to be walking by when Hallie got all of us together for a picture."

"Oh, yeah."

"Could I see that?" Mainframe asked.

"Sure," Kaelin said, handing him the picture.

He looked carefully at the picture and saw both the children smiling happily, looking like they were having a good time at the party. He was standing next to his son, and he noticed that his hair was almost completely gray rather than the dark brown it was now. Kaelin was standing next to a woman he assumed was going to be his wife. Kaelin had her arm around her mother and a big smile was spread across both their faces. His future wife looked familiar to him, like he had met her before but he couldn't exactly remember where. The woman had green eyes and red-blonde hair that was pulled back into bun. She wore a knee-length pale pink dress and had a warm smile on her face. The woman reminded him a lot of Zar- "Holy shit," Mainframe said out loud. He caught himself but not until the words were out of his mouth.

"What's wrong, Da- I mean, Mainframe," Cole corrected himself. 

"Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing really. Um, Hallie? Could I borrow this for a little bit?" he asked, pointing to the picture in his hands.

Hallie shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I can always whip up another copy later."

"I'll give it back later, I promise. And uh, Kaelin, Cole, if you guys have a few minutes, maybe you two would like to see just what it is I do all day around here," he offered his future children.

Kaelin smiled. "Cool. I always wanted to see the computer you got to work with," she told him.

"How'd you know-"

"You told me once that you worked extensively with computers while working here," Kaelin explained. "It's probably why I have such an interest in computers myself."

"I'll tag along, I suppose. I know next to nothing about computers hardware, but I'm sure I'll find something to interest me," Cole said.

"Yeah, he can surf the Internet, write his papers for school, and play the SIMS, but past that, he's clueless," Kaelin said teasingly.

"Hey," he warned, a huge grin threatening to spread across his face. "I can burn CD's too."

Kaelin laughed. "Okay, you win." Kaelin ran over to her friends and told them where she was going before heading off towards the control room with her father and brother. 

Once they were out in the hallway, Cole turned to his father and asked, "What was that back there?"

"What was what?" Mainframe asked, feigning ignorance.

"With the picture. You saw the picture and got really pale. What was in that picture that made you upset?"

Mainframe rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath before facing Cole and Kaelin. "Um, it was seeing who your mother will be. It was just a little…" he paused as he tried to find the right word for his children. "It was shocking." He continued walking down the hall, leaving the two teenagers to try to keep up with him.

"Shocking? How so?" Cole pressed on. "Do you already know her? Is there something you're not telling us?"

"Just follow me," Mainframe said flatly. "I'll do my best to answer your questions when we get to the control room."

!!!!!!!!

To be continued…

I'm so evil! There's plenty more to come! I promise!!!! If you want more, then you have to review!!!! So review, review, review!!!! But again, no flames! 


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Thank you sooooo much for the reviews! I'm doing my best to format the chapters as fast as I can. Just to answer a couple questions that arose… Cobra is behind the children ending up in the past and I promise that I will attack that point in an upcoming chapter. This is my first fanfic so I'm still working out the kinks of story construction and such. Please keep reviewing as the story progresses! It's my life blood and writing force! 

Disclaimer: I'm broke, don't sue. 

Actual disclaimer: Hasbro, Sunbow, Marvel, and everyone else owns G.I. Joe. I own nothing but the children I created. 

June 20, 2006

4:00PM

"Abby, I'm home!" Hector Delgado called as he walked in the door from his job. He'd had a long day and was looking forward to spending the evening with his daughter. He went into the dining room and saw Abby's schoolbooks, as well as two other backpacks as well. _Ah, Beth and Dave are here too_, he thought to himself. He scanned around the room and saw the backdoor had been left open as well.

"Aha! I know you three are out here," he said triumphantly as he headed out the backdoor. He walked out onto the patio area surrounding the pool, not finding any of the children. "That's strange," he muttered. He went back into the house, not having found the trio outside and decided to check all of Abby's normal hiding spots.

Twenty minutes later and after looking in Abby's room, his room, the guestroom, the attic, the garage, and the basement, he still hadn't found his daughter or her two best friends. He went into the kitchen, hoping to find a note from Abby pertaining to her whereabouts and was disappointed to find nothing. Worry lines were beginning to crease his forehead. 

RING! RING! He turned his head sharply towards the telephone as it began to ring shrilly and jolted him out of his reverie. He walked over to where the cordless phone was sitting on the counter and pushed the talk button. 

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mr. Delgado, it's Michelle," said a girl's voice on the other end. "Is Abby there?"

Hector breathed a sigh of relief. It was one of Abby's friends from school on the phone. "No, Michelle, I think she went out with Beth to… the movies," he lied. "I'll have her call you when she gets home." He hung up the phone and was about to go back to figuring out where the trio was when the phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Hey Hector, it's Courtney. Are Beth and Dave there?" said a woman's voice on the other end. It was his old friend and former teammate Cover Girl. She and her children, twins Beth and David, lived just two blocks away from him.

"I can tell you that they were," he told her. "I got home about a half hour ago, found their backpacks dumped off in the dining room and the backdoor wide open. The kids aren't anywhere to be found though."

"Did they leave a note?"

"Haven't found one yet."

"That's weird. Abby's normally really good about that kind of thing," Courtney said.

"Good to know my daughter is responsible in other peoples homes too," he said sarcastically. 

"You know what I mean," she said with a laugh. "Well, if you hear anything from them…" she paused for a second before continuing. "Hector, hold on a moment, I have a beep." Hector held the phone for a moment, wandering into the backyard with the phone as he waited for Courtney to come back. He walked around the patio, hoping to find any clues as to what the kids had been doing before they left.

After a few moments, he found a tiny scrap of black cloth tangled in one of the bushes lining the side of the property. "Hmm, what's this?" he asked curiously. 

"Hector?" Courtney asked. "Sorry I took so long, but that was Roadblock on the other line."

"Oh, really, how is he?" he asked, while inspecting the scrap of cloth in his hand.

"Worried. Alicia and Matt went to the airport to pick up Annie this afternoon and they never got back to the house. He called the airport to have security see if they could look for the car and they found it sitting in the parking garage- with Annie's bags sitting outside of the car."

Hector got a confused look on his face. "So, what? Are you saying that those three are missing too?" He headed back to the kitchen inside the house.

"Appears so. I told him we didn't know where Beth and David and Abby were either."

"Weird. All six of them go missing at the same-" BEEP! His call waiting was going off. "Courtney, hold on a second. Someone is calling on the other line." He pushed the flash button on the phone, which allowed him to receive the other call. 

"Hello?" he asked.

"Shipwreck, it's Duke." Hector's friend and former team leader was on the other end. "Have you seen Abby this afternoon?" he asked.

"No. But wherever she is, I can guarantee Beth and Dave are with her," Hector told him.

"I just got a call from Wild Bill. Shannon and Danny are visiting Chris and Alayna, as are Cole and Kaelin. Bill told me that the six of them went for a trail ride and picnic this afternoon and never came back, but the horses did. He went out to a clearing in the woods and found one of Alayna's necklaces, but no kids."

"Roadblock just called us and said Alicia and Matt went to pick up Annie at the airport and none of them got back, but they found Alicia's car and Annie's luggage sitting outside the car."

Duke paused for a moment before speaking again. "What is today's date?" he asked suddenly.

"The date?" Hector asked. "Our kids are missing and you're asking me for the date?"  
"Today is June 20. Doesn't that date ring a bell to you? June 20, 1986? Sound familiar?"

Hector let it sink in for a moment before letting his jaw go slack. "You don't think-?"

"Project seventeen," Duke said simply. 

"Damnit!" Hector cried, slamming his fist into the countertop of his kitchen. The pain shot through his hand, but he didn't care. 

"Meet me in Fort Meade tomorrow, at Flint and Lady Jaye's house," Duke told him. Hector returned to other phone line. 

"Courtney, I think I know where the kids are," he said.

"Where?"

He took a deep breath before speaking. "Get tomorrow off of work. We have to be in Fort Meade tomorrow afternoon. It's project seventeen."

To be continued….

Author's Note: Hmmm… what is project seventeen you ask???? Well, you're just going to have to keep reading the story to find out. I promise, that all answers will come in time… Just keep reviewing and tell me how everything is going! J Thanks to everyone who already did! I really, really appreciate it! J 


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Please keep on reviewing! I love the feedback! J 

Disclaimer: I'm broke, don't sue!

Actual disclaimer: Hasbro, Sunbow, Marvel, and everyone else owns G.I. Joe. I own nothing but the children I created. 

June 21, 1986

3:00AM

"Okay, why are we in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night?" Kaelin asked sleepily. 

After seeing the picture, Mainframe made a highly unauthorized phone call to the woman he'd seen in the picture. He sincerely hoped that she wasn't involved in this whole mess, but he had a nagging feeling that she was in this somehow. She needed to know about Kaelin and Cole though. And Kaelin and Cole needed to see their mother- who she was, what she had been. They needed to understand.

So, after letting them get a short nap, he loaded them into a car and snuck them off the base, taking them to an abandoned warehouse 30 miles from headquarters. It had taken quite a bit to convince the woman to meet him there and he still wasn't completely sure if she was going to show up, but it was certainly worth a try.

Now he and the children were standing inside a large storage garage inside the warehouse, waiting. "What exactly are we waiting for?" Cole asked impatiently.

"You'll see," Mainframe told him.

They didn't have to wait long. Mainframe heard footsteps from behind him and he drew his blaster, motioning the children to duck down behind a group of crates behind them. Cole and Kaelin peeked from behind the crates to catch a glimpse of the approaching figure. It was definitely a woman, approximately five foot eight, with very short hair, tight blue jeans, black boots, and a cutoff pink shirt. She strode confidently into the area and stopped right in front of their father. "Mainframe," she greeted him in what sounded like a thick British accent. She had a grin plastered across her face.

"Zarana," he said. His face registered no emotion.

"I'm guessing that you didn't call me just to say hi," she said, taken aback by his his emotionless greeting. 

"No. I want to know if Cobra is involved with this whole plan to snatch the future children of my teammates," he told her.

"What?" she said defensively. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Does Serpentor have some sort of time travel device? Or Mindbender?" Mainframe pressed on.

"What makes you think I'd tell you if I did know that?" she said angrily. She turned and started to walk away.

Kaelin and Cole watched the whole scene before them in shock. "That's mom," Kaelin whispered to her brother.

"I know," he said seriously. 

"Mom worked for Cobra?" Kaelin asked.

"That what it sounds like," he said. 

"But I thought-"

"She worked for the Joes," Cole finished for her. "Yeah. I know."

"We have to say something," Kaelin insisted.

"Wait," Cole told her.

"Do you know that your kids got snatched in this whole arrangement too?" Mainframe said to Zarana. 

Zarana snapped her head around to face him. "What?" she asked in disbelief. "What are you talking about? I don't have any children."

"Not yet. But you will. A boy and a girl."

"And how do you know that they're mine?" she asked skeptically.

He pulled out the picture he'd borrowed from Hallie and handed it to her. "These are the kids," he told her. "It was taken at a birthday party they went to about a month ago. A month ago in their time, twenty years from now."

Zarana studied the picture for a moment. It took her a minute for the weight of the picture's meaning to hit her. "You're their father," she said simply. 

Mainframe nodded. "Shocked me too."

"And how do I know that this isn't some sort of GI Joe trick?" she asked him. Before he could answer that question, Kaelin stepped out from her hiding place to face her mother.

"Mom?" she asked quietly. Mainframe could see she had tiny tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Kay, wait!" Cole exclaimed.

"It's okay, Cole," Mainframe said. "Let her speak."

"You've been working for the enemy all along?" Kaelin said, the hurt evident in her voice. "All these years you've spent helping me with my homework or braiding my hair or taking me shopping or just giving me advice and I thought you had worked with Daddy and instead you were working against him. You lied to me!" The tears were now freely flowing down her cheeks. Cole went over to his younger sister and pulled her into a tight hug in order to calm her down.

Cole's face registered all the disappointment that Kaelin felt, but he didn't want to end up crying. He needed to stay strong for his little sister. "My entire life was a lie," he said to Zarana, over his sister's shoulder. "How am I supposed to even trust you when you lied to us our entire lives. You said you worked with Dad, you don't. As a matter of fact, you work for the enemy." Cole turned his face to look at his father. "And you're not completely innocent either. It takes two to tango. You knew and you never said anything either."

Kaelin looked up at her brother in shock. She was so upset over learning about her mother's involvement in Cobra that she didn't even realize that her father had to have known as well. She turned and looked at her father, who was only nodding his head.

"Smart boy," Zarana said. 

"Thanks," Cole said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's high praise coming from a traitor."

Zarana looked hurt for a brief second, but quickly wiped the look of her face. "I suppose I deserved that," she said dryly. 

She sat down on one of the crates and began to shake her head. "I wasn't too happy with the whole plan once I found out my kids were involved," she said sadly. "At least I know they're safe though."

"So you did know?" Mainframe asked. 

Zarana nodded sadly. "I didn't care at first. I didn't think that I would care since the children weren't mine, but once I found out that two of them were going to be mine… I mean, imagine me as a mother… but I don't want anything to happen to them now…" She had tears in her eyes, and they were threatening to fall down her face.

Mainframe went over to sit beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "So you'll help us?" he asked softly.

She looked up at Cole and Kaelin and nodded her head. "I have to protect my son and daughter," she said. "I have to help."

!!!!!!!!

To be continued…

Author's Note: Hmm… Zarana is going to help the Joes? Should they trust what she says or be cautious? Keep reviewing! I love the feedback!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I apologize for the fact that this chapter doesn't have a lot happening… it was necessary to have a bridge chapter that leads to the next part. There is a bit of character development in this though, which may lead you to understand some of the characters a little better. As always, keep on reviewing, but NO FLAMES!!!! Constructive criticism is okay, but don't be mean, cuz well, mean people suck… hehe! And as always, keep the praise coming too! 

Disclaimer: I'm broke, don't sue!

Actual disclaimer: Hasbro, Sunbow, Marvel, and everyone else own G.I. Joe. I own nothing except the children I created. 

June 21, 1986

7:00AM

Abby awoke to hear someone pounding on the door leading to the quarters she'd been given for the night. She was going to wait for Kaelin or Carla to answer the door because they were morning people, but when no one answered the door, she decided to get up and answer the door herself. She was surprised to see Kaelin on the other side. "Kay, how early did you get up this morning?" Abby asked with a yawn.

"About two," she said sleepily. "I'm ready to crash for a while."

"What are you talking about?" Abby asked her.

"Cole and I went with Mainframe to go meet with our 'mother,'" Kaelin said, her voice registering contempt as she said "mother."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Abby said. "You and your mom are pretty close, aren't you?"

"I thought so, but it turns out that our entire lives are complete lies."

Abby looked completely confused. "You lost me."

"Mom works for Cobra," Kaelin said simply.

Abby was awake now. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

"That's what I said. We had to meet with her in a dark warehouse in the middle of the night and she completely denied anything was going on at first. And then Dad told her about Cole and I and well… she spilled everything." Abby could see that Kaelin was crying.

Abby put an arm around her friend's shoulder and led her to a couch in the main area of the room. "Everything? What do you mean?" she said gently.

Before Kaelin could answer, there was another knock on the door. Abby excused herself and went to answer the door again. Cover Girl was standing on the opposite side. "Good morning," she greeted Abby. "Is everyone else up already?"

"Just me," Kaelin said. "But I'm going to bed now."

Cover Girl nodded. "No problem. Mainframe already told us about his little trip last night."

"He's not going to get in any trouble, is he?" Kaelin asked worriedly. "Because I don't want him to get in trouble on account of the fact that-"

"It's okay. He showed Hawk the picture and your mother seems to be cooperating with us for now," Cover Girl told him. "Just go ahead and get yourself some sleep."

"What are you doing here this early?" Abby asked as she watched Kaelin's retreating form. 

"Checking on you girls. Breakfast is being served now too," Cover Girl said. "If any of you girls are hungry, I'd get some food now. And just a piece of advice," she added, "the cereal is usually pretty safe. I can't make any guarantees on the rest of the food though."

Abby giggled at that. "That's the same promise we hear from the ladies in the school cafeteria."

Cassandra came into the room then, still dressed in the same blue jeans and pale pink blouse she had been wearing the day before. Like Abby and the rest of the girls, she had been forced to sleep in the clothes she had been wearing when she showed up in the past and was feeling rather dirty, and was in desperate need for a shower.

"Excuse me, Abigail," she said to Abby. She stepped in front of Abby and spoke directly to Cover Girl. "Do you happen to know where I could get some toiletries so I can take a decent shower?"

"What exactly do you need?"

"Let's see. I'll need some shampoo, conditioner, a facial cleanser, moisturizer, body sponge, body wash-"

"This is a military base, not the Four Seasons," Cover Girl said flatly. "I can get you shampoo and a bar of soap and that's it. Whatever else you need we'll buy at the store later."

Cassandra looked like someone had slapped her across the face. She was used to getting what she wanted when she wanted it and didn't enjoy being told that she couldn't. She conceded however, as she realized she was in some strange circumstances, and the promise of being able to remedy the problem later in the day pleased her. "I suppose that's acceptable," Cassandra said with a nod of her head. "When are we going shopping?"

"Later."

"When?"

"You'll find out when we go," Cover Girl told her, growing more exasperated with each passing second of talking to Cassandra. "In the meantime, go find your mother. I'm sure she can help you find the stuff you need." After giving Cassandra directions of how to get to Lady Jaye's quarters, she watched the teenage girl disappear down the corridor, then turned back to Abby, who was still standing in the room and had a look of disgust on her face.

"How can you stand her?" Cover Girl asked.

"We don't. We try to avoid her whenever possible," Abby said. "Last month, the night before my sweet sixteen party, I had a sleepover party at my house for all the girls- you know, Kaelin and Carla and Hallie and the crew, not my friends from school- but Beth and I carefully neglected to invite Cassandra. She ended up showing up for a few minutes anyway, and started this fight between her and Hallie."

"Well, don't tell her parents this, but Cassandra seems like a snotty little spoiled brat."

Abby grinned from ear to ear. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

Hallie stepped into the room then, clad in a brand new pair of blue and white shorts and a matching blue tank top, with white Steve Madden thong sandals. Her hair was still wet from her shower. "Does anyone have a hair dryer I could borrow?" she asked.

"What did you wash your hair with?" Abby asked her.

"Oh, I picked up a new bottle of shampoo yesterday at the CVS in Quincy Market," Hallie told her. "The big bottle of Herbal Essences was on sale."

"Cassandra doesn't know you have shampoo, does she?" Abby said knowingly.

"Ha!" Hallie laughed. "She'll know… when hell freezes over. Do you like the new outfit?"

"Love it," Abby grinned. "Can I borrow some of that shampoo?"

"Sure. Just wait for Carla to finish her shower," Hallie told her. 

"Thanks, babe," Abby said.

"Tell Beth she can use it too."

"I'm going to guess that you aren't too fond of Cassandra either?" Cover Girl asked Hallie.

Hallie bristled at the mention of Cassandra. "If there is one person on this planet that I cannot stand, it's Cassandra. I mean, I've had my fair share of dealing with prissy little girly girl brats at my school, but Cassandra makes them all look like saints. She's rude and nasty and snobby and thinks that just because she's treated like royalty by everyone around her, she can treat everyone else like dirt. I mean, just look at how she treats Carla."

Abby nodded. She knew just as well as Hallie how difficult Carla had it at school especially when dealing with Cassandra and her privileged group of friends. "Cassandra treats Carla like dirt at school all the time," Abby said to Cover Girl. 

"They go to the same school?"

"Boarding school," Hallie said, crinkling her nose. "Cassandra lives on campus but Carla is a day student- she goes home every day. And for some reason, Cassandra thinks less of her because of it, like she's not good enough to be going to Andover or something."

"And you and Carla are close friends?" Cover Girl asked her.

"Best friends," Hallie said. "We understand each other in ways that most other people don't. Both of us go to schools where people just don't understand or accept us for who we are as people. The two of us can relate to each other in that respect. And thank god we only live an hour away from each other because it would be horrible otherwise."

"Wouldn't it already be hard to see one another?"

"It is. But during the summer it's great. We pretty much spend the summer with one another and now that we're working on getting our licenses, we'll be seeing each other a hell of a lot more since we won't have to rely on our parents to drive us back and forth." Hallie grinned at the thought of that.

Carla came out of the bathroom then, wearing a new pale yellow tank top, white shorts, and new white sneakers. "You know, I'm pretty happy that we were zapped after we did all this shopping," she said with a grin. "I've got enough new outfits for the next week from that trip."

"And shoes to match!" Hallie said with a laugh.

Abby cut in on their conversation. "Carla, is that shampoo still in the shower?"

"Yeah, why?"

"We have shampoo?" Beth's sleepy voice chimed in. She had just stumbled into the room, hair looking completely rumpled and clothes wrinkled from having slept in them.

"Yeah, Hallie had it in her mass of shopping bags. And you are so lending me an outfit to wear cuz I am sure as hell not wearing this again today. But first, DIBS ON THE BATHROOM!" Abby cried out. Before Beth could protest, Abby made a mad dash for the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and immediately starting the water.

"Hair dryer?" Hallie asked everyone expectantly. 

"I'll get one," Cover Girl offered. "In the meantime, the rest of you should get yourselves ready, then get some food. You have a busy day ahead."

!!!!!!!!

June 21, 1986

4:00PM

After getting some lunch in the mess hall (which Annie had described as government surplus food at its worst), the teenagers had been split into groups to go to the local shopping mall to get themselves some new clothes and some personal hygiene items. Abby, Beth, Dave, Emily, and A.J. had been grouped with Cover Girl for the trip. All the kids had gotten quite a shock when they walked into the eighties version of the Gap and felt like they had all walked into a time warp. A.J. actually walked up to one of the workers in the store, who had blond curly hair that was pulled up in a ponytail on the side of her head and an off the shoulder white tank top under a black fishnet shirt and tight cut up jean shorts over black leggings, and black stiletto heels, with her face heavily made up, and asked if she was Madonna. She laughed and told him no, but he burst into his own version of "Like a Virgin," and asked for her autograph.

After that experience, they ended up finding some decent clothes, although many things were items they wouldn't have been caught dead in at home, and made their way back to the base and looked through their clothes. 

"I can't believe that they wore their jeans this tight," Emily complained as she looked in the mirror. All the kids had agreed they needed to leave the mall looking like they belonged in the 1980's, rather than children of the new millenium. She had pulled her curly blonde hair into a ponytail and had on a new short sleeved oversized blue tee shirt that she had tucked into her pants.

"And that they wore their clothes so big," Abby complained.

"Yeah, I feel like I can fit three of me in this shirt," Beth said, looking at her new lavender tee shirt in the mirror.

"Come on girls," Cover Girl told them, "we have to get you back to the base."

An hour later, they were back on the base, where their friends had already gotten back from their trips, and were looking rather upset by the new clothes they had found. Apparently, they weren't completely enthusiastic about the eighties style of dress either, except for A.J., who was loudly proclaiming himself to be the king of breakdancing and started spinning on the mess hall floor on his back.

"I'm hungry," Alayna proclaimed.

"Again?" Chris teased.

Alayna ignored him. "So what are we supposed to be doing for the rest of the day?"

The rest of the kids shrugged. "I don't know," said Cole. "I guess we can go outside and start a game of volleyball or go swimming or something."

"What about baseball?" Danny asked.

"Lacrosse," Abby said simply.

"Soccer," Dave added.

"Field hockey," Cassandra said.

"Football," Chris put in.

"How about come with me down to the control room?" Mainframe's voice cut in. The kids all turned around to face the door and saw Cole and Kaelin's dad standing with a gravely serious look on his face. "I need all of you to follow me," he said. 

"What's wrong, Da- Mainframe?" Kaelin asked.

"You need to talk to your mother. All of you need to talk to her."

!!!!!!!!

To be continued…

AN: Why do the kids have to talk to Zarana? Well, keep reading on! I promise, a lot of questions will be answered in the next chapter pertaining to how the children's trip back in time became possible. Keep on reviewing! The feedback keeps me going! J 


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I'm trying to deliver new parts when I get the chance. I've been working some extra shifts the past couple days so it's been crazy… hey, it's 95 degrees outside and I have the best job in the world… ICE CREAM SHOPPE!!!! But I digress! Please keep on reviewing! I have no idea how many parts this story is going to be but I hope that this particular chapter answers a couple questions, as well as raise a few new ones… Everything is going to come together soon but I'm not sure exactly how soon… Stay tuned!!!! 

Disclaimer: I'm broke, don't sue.

Actual disclaimer: Hasbro, Sunbow, and Marvel and everyone else own G.I. Joe. I own nothing except for the children I created.

Kaelin and Cole were thoroughly disgusted by the fact they had to even come along on this little trip, having learned the truth about their mother's loyalty. They were curious why they were being forced to speak with her now, however, and gave their mother angry looks when they arrived in the room.

The rest of the kids were a little shocked by her appearance to say the least. The Mrs. Parker they had known in their time was usually put together, had a kind smile, and treated her children like gold. Now, she was handcuffed to a chair, had tousled hair and her ripped clothes and emotionless face left something to be desired. Her hard expression softened slightly upon seeing Kaelin and Cole, but her eyes saddened upon seeing their cold stares. She looked over at Mainframe, who only shrugged his shoulders, and gathered the kids around her. 

Another man was standing in the room, a slightly older man, with a brown shirt, green pants, and combat boots. He seemed to be someone who had a great deal of authority. "I'm General Hawk," he introduced himself to the kids. "I'm the Commanding Officer on this base. I've asked all of you here now for you to understand why exactly you were brought here from your time, and considering that this… woman," he pointed to Zarana, "is supposedly the mother to two of you, I've decided to allow her to tell you."

""She has nothing to say to us," Cole said angrily.

"She's done enough damage," Kaelin said, the hurt still in her voice.

"Listen to what she has to say," Mainframe said calmly. "I think you'll be surprised."

"She's a traitor, wasn't that enough of a surprise for us," Cole said bitterly.

"She's also the reason you're standing here at Joe headquarters instead of in a Cobra prison cell," Mainframe said with a hint of anger in his voice. Kaelin and Cole looked shocked at his outburst and immediately turned their attention to their mother.

"What is he talking about?" Cole demanded.

"Yeah, I'm lost," Shannon said.

Zarana took a deep breath and started speaking. "About two months ago, Dr. Mindbender completed a device that would allow us to travel back and forth through time- a time machine if you will. His plan was to find and follow the future children of the Joes- which would be all of you- kidnap them, bring them here to the past, then use you as bait for a trap to lure the Joes into a major assassination. He thought that they would do anything to save their children and would use that knowledge to trap and kill them. Kill the Joes and there will be no obstacles to Cobra taking over the world." She let out a sharp laugh before continuing. "Take over the world, isn't that the story of our careers."

"So what exactly is your role in this plot?" Cole asked.

"I was sent to gather information on both of you, Kaelin and Cole," she said. "Find out where you went to school, who your parents were, what your summer plans entailed and so on. It was through my research that I discovered that you were Mainframe's children. And mine."

"Oh, my god! You went to our school!" Kaelin exclaimed. She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I didn't even notice you. I know every single kid at Shadow Mountain, how did I not see you? Oh lord, for someone who was just elected STUGO secretary for next year, I just totally blew it. I hope this doesn't get out, because if it does I am completely-"

"Kay, chill," Cole told his little sister.

"You wouldn't have recognized me," her mother said. "I was disguised as a new teacher. Remember that gym teacher Ms. Richards?"

"Yeah, she was that new teacher when Mr. Crawford got in that car accident. She was a total slave driver, but she was pretty nice to me, even though she was still giving me grief about not pushing myself hard enough in the physical fitness test which is ridiculous because I have the fastest mile time of anyone in school-" Kaelin's eyes widened when she saw her mother smiling. "That was you!" she exclaimed. "I am so stupid!"

"There was no way you could've known," Mainframe told her. "Your mother is a master of disguises and covert ops."

"Mindbender didn't know that you were my children. I wasn't about to tell him either, because then Cobra would find out my future husband- according to the future we had seen- had been a Joe. So, when the time came to actually kidnap the children, I decided to realign the device programmed with the destination the children would end up in. I had them sent here because I knew they'd be safe here. All of you would take care of them. My children… they'd be okay." She looked down at her feet then, unable to look up at her children, who were currently standing slack-jawed in front of their mother.

"You did all that to make sure that we'd be safe?" Kaelin asked in disbelief. Zarana nodded.

"Wait a second," Cole cut in. "If you could change the settings, couldn't you have just set everything so we didn't go anywhere at all?"

"No. They would have killed you on the spot if it didn't work. Having you at least come here guaranteed that you'd be alive. Dr. Mindbender is pissed that his device hasn't seemed to work, but he'll find out soon enough where you were sent."

"And Cobra will probably attack us here," Hawk said grimly. "How can I be sure that's not what you wanted to begin with? An attack on us here. You draw Cobra here to attack us, kill as many Joes as you want, and then watch as the children disappear and are never even born."

"That wasn't my plan!" she said in frustration. "You're making it sound like I'm out to kill my own children."

"I wouldn't put it past you."

"I put my own life on the line to make sure my children were safe. Isn't that enough for you?" she asked him.

Hawk was pacing back and forth, thinking about what he should do next. "Children, until further notice, you are not to leave this building. You will only be permitted to come here, the rec room, the mess hall, your own quarters, and the gym. A security team comprised of Joes will escort you wherever you go. If you need anything, you may ask your parents."

All the kids started to groan. "Oh, come on, General!" Shannon whined. "I don't want to be cooped up in here."

"Yeah, can't we go outside at least?" asked Danny.

"Yeah, I saw that nice baseball diamond in the back," Chris said.

"Or we could use the pool," Beth added.

"I don't want to risk the chance for any one of you to be seen by Cobra," he said. "You will remain inside the building unless otherwise told."

"Are you kidding me?" Dave asked. 

"What, are we in prison or something?" Alicia asked.

"This is worse than being in school," Abby commented.

"Yeah, but we can leave school at the end of the day. We're stuck here," Chris added.

"We can't even go outside for some fresh air?" Cassandra asked. She was accustomed to her daily walks and wasn't prepared to give those up.

"No," Hawk said. "I'm sorry that it has to be that way, but this is just to ensure your safety."

"How am I supposed to get my daily run in?" Kaelin asked. She had her routine so solidly established that she hated throwing anything off, especially since she now could not take her usual early morning five mile run.

"Use the treadmill in the workout room," Hawk said.

"It's not the same," Kaelin muttered. She took out a small handheld computer- her Palm Pilot- and started making little notes 

"Changing your morning schedule?" Cole asked teasingly.

"What is that?" Hawk asked her, pointing to her Palm Pilot.

"My electronic organizer," Kaelin said, keeping her gaze on the screen of her organizer. She touched what looked like a metallic pen to the screen and after a series of beeps, she put the device back into the pocket of her blue jeans. "And yes, I'm changing my schedule. And writing down the places we can and can't go. Someone has to have this written down."

"What's going to happen when the battery runs dead on it?" Cole asked her.

"Let's pray we're not here long enough to find out," she said seriously. "I had charged it the night before last and I have the battery on it that's supposed to last a week. So let's see how it works."

"What are you going to do about her?" Cole asked Hawk and his father, pointing towards Zarana.

Hawk frowned at Zarana as he thought about what to do with her. "We're going to put her in a holding cell for now. Security will be placed around the area. Zarana, you may say you've changed but I still don't trust you as far as I can throw you. As for the rest of you," he said to the kids. "I suggest you leave and find a place to entertain yourselves for the rest of the evening. And remember-"

"Yeah, yeah," Hallie said, rolling her eyes, "No going outside."

The kids left the control room and started heading down the hall. Noone was exactly sure what they wanted to do for the evening, but considering they were trapped inside the building, their options were going to be severely limited. They decided the best thing to do for the moment was just follow orders for the evening and find something, anything, to entertain themselves. Annie was the first person to speak up with an idea for the evening. "Anyone know if there's a Blockbuster around?" 

!!!!!!!!

To be continued…

Author's Note: Okay, so now we know that Zarana fully knew what was happening. The question that remains would be her loyalty at this point. Has she truly decided to support the Joes or is General Hawk right, believing that she has set the base up for an attack by Cobra. Will an attack happen anyway? And of course, there is the question of whether or not the kids will actually remain inside or try to sneak out… stay tuned! 


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I hope everyone is keeping cool in this sweltering weather! Perhaps another part to the story can keep you inside and out of the heat! Hope you enjoy! As always, review, review, review! Praise is nice, constructive criticism is okay, but please NO FLAMES! Flames are mean and mean people suck… hehe! Okay, here's the next part! 

June 21, 2006

2:30PM

Fort Meade, MD

The former Joes had gathered inside the living room of their friends, Dashiell and Alison Fairborne, AKA Flint and Lady Jaye and were having a very heated discussion pertaining to the whereabouts of their children and what they can and should do to bring them home safely. Hector and Courtney had only arrived fifteen minutes before, having to wait to leave their house after Hector had put gotten home from work. It was the last day of school for the sixth grade class he taught and with only one hour to the school day, he didn't think it fair to miss the last day of class.

They had been ushered into the two-story ranch home by Alison and upon entering the living room, saw several of their friends having a heated conversation about their children. Seated in a semi-circle in the center of the large living area in addition to Dashiell and Alison, were Conrad and Shana Hauser, Bill Hardy, Brad Armbruster, Carl Greer, MacArthur Ito, Marvin Hinton, David Kasnebogen, Albert Pine, and Blaine and Zarana Parker. It seemed as though they were all talking at once, each with their own idea of how to get their children home.

"We've been anticipating this day for 20 years," Conrad was saying. "Project seventeen- the operation in which we have to retrieve our children and bring them home safely. We have to try to remember every little detail that happened twenty years ago and let it play out as it played out then. Otherwise our entire future is going to change."

"And remember everything without getting our kids hurt," Hector cut in, from where he was standing in the door. He headed into the room with Courtney and took a seat on the floor, seeing all the chairs and couches were currently occupied. "I don't know about anyone else, but I want my little girl back in one piece."

"And get them back in one piece," Conrad told him. 

"And if I remember right, and this is going back twenty years, but we- or they- or- well, you know what I mean- are supposed to arrive to save the kids sometime late tomorrow afternoon… which was the 22nd… right?" Shana asked, visibly trying to think about the date. "Yeah, it was the 22nd, and tomorrow is the 22nd…"

"The kids must be going nuts right now," Blaine said. "I seem to remember Hawk forbidding them to leave the building and I certainly know that Kaelin is not going to be happy having her daily routine thrown off so she can't take her usual morning run."

"And they've probably already found out me," Zarana said quietly. "I can only imagine the kids hate me now. I remember Kaelin and Cole both feeling like they hated me when they found out."

"They don't hate you," Blaine told her, rubbing her shoulders in an attempt to make her feel better. "Trust me, when they see how you try to protect them, they'll see how much you really love them."

"Beth is probably dancing around the halls by now," Courtney said.

"Abby's probably right next to her," Hector added.

"With Shannon beside her I'm sure," Shana told them. "She's a bit of a live wire herself."

"I wonder where she got that from?" Conrad said, shooting a sly grin towards his wife.

Shana responded by playfully sticking her tongue out at her husband.

"Did anyone think of just how we're supposed to get there?" Albert asked. "Finding a way to go back in time I mean. Is there like, some sort of time machine that one of you have that I don't know about?"

"I believe that Roadblock and I can help with that," Dashiell said, nodding in Marvin's direction and referring to him by his code name.

"You have something?" Carl asked with interest.

"A little something that we've had hidden away for a long time," Dashiell said with a grin. "You forget that we were able to retrieve the time machine twenty years ago." As though to prove his point, he went into the kitchen for a few moments and returned with a handful of little devices that strongly resembled ballpoint pens.

"You're proposing to get my little girl back with a BIC pen?" Hector asked sarcastically.

"These are what Cobra used to send our kids back in time," Dashiell told him, his voice laced with exasperation. "Duke sent Roadblock and I into the Cobra base to take both the central computer device that was programmed with the destination and the actual devices used to physically sent the kids back to 1986. Then we used them to send the kids and their parents back to the future. We kept the main computer device and the activation units for when we'd need them today."

"So how do those work exactly?" Brad asked.

Zarana decided to jump in and answer that question. "You have to program a destination into the central computer system. A signal is then sent to the… BIC pens as Shipwreck referred to them, which transport the desired person or persons to the destination in the central system." She took one of the transporting devices from Dashiell before continuing. "This device is activated by pushing down a small button on the top. There is a small hole in the front of it, which is pointed away from you when it's activated. This little hole actually emits a bright light, which engulfs the people you point it at and sends them to the programmed time and place."

"Well, we have a way to get there, but how are we supposed to get back?" Courtney asked.

"We'll have to find the computer on that side and set it to send us home- with our kids," Conrad said.

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Carl asked. "We would have to take the kids with us."

"I'm not putting Abby in danger," Hector said firmly. "No."

"Well, not necessarily. We would just have to find out where the Cobra base is, steal the unit, and bring it back to headquarters so that we could get ourselves and the kids home," Dashiell said.

"And we have to do this without getting ourselves killed," Hector said sarcastically.

"I don't have to like it."

"Well, you'd better pray that this goes off the way it's planned because I personally don't plan to end up six feet under and leaving my poor little girl by herself," Hector told him.

"She's with all of us-well, our younger selves- and her friends. And she's sixteen now. I'm sure she can take care of herself," Alison threw in.

"Just because your daughter has been by herself for two years doesn't mean I'm willing to let that happen to my kid and I'm not willing to knowingly put Abby in a situation where she's all alone," Hector said angrily.

"Now wait just a second," Dashiell started but Courtney cut him off.

"Hector, can I talk to you for a second. Outside," Courtney said to him, emphasizing the word outside and tilting her head towards the door. Hector reluctantly followed her, shooting another angry stare towards the others in the room for even considering what they were.

Once they were outside, Courtney put her hand on her friends shoulder and said," Hector, what's wrong? What's really bothering you?" She knew him well enough to know that it wasn't just his daughter's safety that was concerning him.

He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his temples before speaking. "I just- I feel like I didn't do enough to stop them from taking her," he said sadly. "And Beth and Dave- they were with her. And I know that she can hold her own. She's really bright- it's just…" he paused as he tried to find the right word. He took another deep breath as he looked at his best friend. "Abby's all I got. She's my only kid and I'm raising her by myself- I'm angry enough that she's not here with me right now where I can protect her. I can't even imagine what my life would be like without her."

Courtney looked at her best friend, knowing exactly the emotions he was going through. "I know how you feel," she told him. "But you forget that you always have me to help you. I mean, you've done more than your fair share to look after Beth and David ever since we moved to New York and I'd like to think that I've included Abby into our lives- I'm pretty sure she thinks so. And I know that Beth and especially David see both of you as a part of our family- you know as a father figure since they don't have their dad around at all."

Hector smiled at her, nodding at how true her words were. His expression saddened again a moment later as he thought about the three kids. "I feel like it's my fault though. I mean, if I'd been home maybe- maybe I could have saved them or something."

"Don't be ridiculous," she scolded him. "There was nothing either of us could have done. Not only was this was this carefully organized and executed, it's been fated to happen for twenty years. We knew this day was coming and we can't change what's inevitable. It's out of our hands. What we can do is work together with everyone in that room-" she pointed towards the living room where their friends were sitting, "-and find a way to bring all of our kids home safely. Without killing each other," she added for emphasis.

"All right," he nodded. 

"And hey, look on the bright side. In a weird ironic twist, you still are kind of looking after her," she said, grinning from ear to ear, knowing that his younger self was where Abby was.

Hector rolled his eyes at her. "That's what I'm worried about," he said with a laugh.

Courtney laughed at his comment. "Everything will be just fine," she assured him. She gave him a quick hug before gesturing back towards the living room. "Ready to rejoin everyone?"

He gestured his arms towards the living room. "Ladies first."

Two hours later, after coming up with a plan to retrieve their respective children, the former Joes had decided to go to dinner before leaving on their rescue mission. They had chosen to meet back at Dashiell and Alison's house at 8:00 the next morning and planned to take their trip back sometime in the afternoon, after they had fiddled with the central computer programming. They had learned that the actual computer was at Marvin's home in Columbia, about an hour away. He would go home and load the system into his large truck, and bring it back to Fort Meade the next morning, where Zarana and Mainframe would play with the computer system and set the correct time and place to retrieve their children. They figured that they could leave sometime in the afternoon, but it would all depend on how quickly they could get the computer system online and working. Everyone just hoped they weren't too late to rescue their children.

To be continued…

Author's note: So the parents have some sort of plan to retrieve their kids. It should be interesting to see how they have to face their younger selves… but you'll have to wait to see how that happens… I'm so evil!!!! Well, not really, but I promise, that confrontation will come soon enough! Keep on reading and reviewing! 


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Thank you sooo much for your continued kind reviews! I'm doing the best I can to crank out more chapters for you. I just hope they're still good as I go on… This chapter and the next features more character development, partly with the kids interacting with their "parents." Please keep reading and reviewing. As always, I like praise, constructive criticism is good but please, NO FLAMES!!!! Flames are mean and mean people still suck… hehe…

Disclaimer: I'm broke, don't sue.

Actual disclaimer: Hasbro, Sunbow, Marvel and everyone else owns G.I. Joe. I own nothing except the children I created.

June 21, 1986

9:00PM

The kids didn't seem to be in much present danger, as they were all packed inside the large rec room. Chris, Alayna, Cole, Shannon, Dave, Abby, Beth, and Matt had started a pool tournament at the pool table in the room. Emily, Hallie, Danny, Carla, Alicia, and A.J. were playing poker at a corner card table, where Hallie was currently cleaning them all out (they were using Hershey Kisses and miniature candy bars that Scarlet and Ace had brought them as "money"), Cassandra was sitting in a reclining chair reading Wuthering Heights, which she had found on her mother's bookshelf, and Kaelin and Annie were currently going through the video collection to see if there was a decent movie to watch. 

"I'll see your two Hershey Kisses and I'll raise you a Milky Way," Danny said. He was the only person at the poker table to have beaten Hallie that night, but that had been 5 hands ago. He had to hand it to her, she was _good_. 

"Getting pretty confident over there," Carla said. She looked at her own hand and saw the pair of Ace's and pair of 10's. Not a great hand, but certainly not too shabby either. 

"Not at all," Danny said, trying to keep up his best poker face. He was holding a full house- two queens and three jacks. He knew he was in a good position to take this hand. Hallie wasn't going to make it easy on him, though.

"Danny, I see your Milky Way and raise you a Milky Way, a Butterfinger, two Snicker bars, and three Hershey Kisses," Hallie said, her face completely serious. She shoved her candy towards the middle of the table.

"I fold," Emily, Alicia, Carla, and A.J. said in unison, throwing their hands face down on the table.

"This game is just a little too rich for me," Carla said.

"I can't afford those stakes," Emily said.

Danny shoved his candy in front of him. "Whatcha have?"

Hallie grinned as she laid her hand in front of him. "Read 'em and weep," she said. "Two queens and three nine's." She reached for the pile of candy in the center of the table, but was stopped by Danny who laid his free hand on top of Hallie's at the center of the pile. 

"Not so fast," he said slyly. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Carla, Emily, A.J. and Alicia look at him curiously. He laid his cards out on the table, so Hallie and the rest of his friends could see them. "I also have two queen's but I believe my three jack's beat your three nine's," Danny told Hallie. 

Hallie could feel her jaw hit the table. "You beat me!" she said incredulously. 

Danny nodded. "Um… yes," he said with a slight smile tugging at his lips. 

"I want a rematch!" Hallie cried.

"Could you keep it down a little bit? I'm trying to read over here," Cassandra said, turning away from her book to shoot Hallie and the others at the poker table a dirty look.

"Then ignore me," Hallie said, knowing full well that she was being rude but she didn't care.

"It's rather hard to ignore you when you are screeching like a banshee," Cassandra shot back. 

"Why you-" Hallie said. She could practically feel the smoke coming out of her ears. Carla grabbed her arms before Hallie could grab Cassandra by the throat and strangle her. 

"Hal, it's not worth it," Carla told her. "She's looking for a fight. Don't give her the satisfaction of getting worked up. Otherwise, she wins."

Hallie looked at her best friend and knew she was right. She relaxed slightly, but continued to glare at Cassandra, who was looking rather smug as she returned to reading her book. Carla led her over to the pool table on the other side of the room, where Dave and Abby were playing one another. 

"Who's winning?" Carla asked Chris, who was standing with his sister by the table.

"Abby, but only by one ball. Dave's keeping it pretty close," he said.

"It's no surprise," Beth said. "Abby has a pool table in her house and it gets used all the time between her and her dad playing or when it gets used for parties and stuff. And since Dave and I practically live at her house, we're always playing too."

"Yeah, but Abby beat you in the first round," Alayna teased.

"Not by much. At least I didn't get blown away," Beth shot back. Alayna had been beaten fairly badly by Shannon and knocked out of the tournament very quickly. Shannon had knocked the eight ball in before Alayna could even get one of her striped balls into the hole. Carla and Hallie snickered as Beth told the story of Alayna's embarrassing defeat.

"If it's any consolation, I lost pretty badly myself," Chris added, trying to make his sister feel better.

"No kidding. Had either of you ever played before today?" Beth asked.

"Once," Chris admitted. "I was pretty bad then too. And today, Cole whooped me good."

"And Dave whooped him," Beth said.

"How was the poker game?" Shannon asked while trying to keep an eye on the pool game. Dave had just tied the game, by hitting one of his solid balls into a corner pocket. 

"Danny won," Hallie said grudgingly. "There will be a rematch. As a matter of fact, there would have been a rematch right then but Cassandra decided to run her mouth so I'm over here to cool off."

"Ignore her," Matt said, rolling his eyes. "She needs to get a life."

"No kidding," Shannon said. "Does anyone know why she's just sitting there reading a book instead of trying to have some fun?"

"Because she's an overachieving egomaniac trying to make us look like we're inferior to her," Carla said. All the kids around her dropped their jaws at Carla. They knew Carla was normally the last person to say anything bad about someone, so when nasty comments did come out her mouth, it shocked people around her.

"Shh!" Alayna said with a grin and a glance in Cassandra's direction. "She might hear you!"

"So what?" Carla asked. "It's not like she's never heard me say that about her before. You forget that we go to school together."

"Aha!" Abby said triumphantly. She had just been able to sink two of her balls into the side pocket, setting herself up for a shot at the eight ball.

"Damn!" Dave said in frustration. "Lucky shot."

"Don't need luck," Abby said with a grin. "I got skills." She moved herself into position to take a shot on the eight ball. "Eight ball, corner pocket," she said, using her pool cue to point to a corner diagonal from her. Dave's eyes followed. 

Abby's forehead crinkled as she concentrated on lining up her shot. It actually wouldn't be too difficult. The way the eight ball was set up, she had a clear line to the hole. 

Almost everyone in the room was now gathered around the pool table, watching Abby take her shot. Only Cassandra remained indifferent to the situation, as she stayed in her chair and continued reading. Within a few short seconds it was over. Just as Abby had noticed, it was an easy shot that she easily sunk in the desired pocket. Beth ran over and gave her a big hug as both girls started jumping up and down in excitement. Everyone began to congratulate Abby, even Dave, who gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek, causing both of them to blush a deep red.

Cassandra looked up from her book then, utterly disgusted that she couldn't have any peace and quiet because of the shrill screaming coming from the other kids in the room. Sometimes she wondered if they were all truly the same age, and was even more shocked that some of them were older than her and still acted like they were five. "Excuse me," she said loudly, so she could be heard over the noise. The other kids stopped celebrating and shot dirty looks in her direction, which she subsequently ignored. "I'm trying to read here and would really appreciate if you would all shut up and give me some peace and quiet."

"Hello?" Beth said rudely. "First off, you are not the only person here. Second, if I want to make noise in the REC ROOM then I'm going to. And three, if you don't like our noise, then find somewhere else to read because there are sixteen of us and one of you, and the sixteen of us are going to continue to make noise."

"And speaking of noise, Annie and I found a few movies that we think might be winners," Kaelin added. 

"Ooh! What did you find?" Shannon asked.

"A lot of movies I had never heard of," Annie said. "But we did find Grease-"

"Hell, no," Matt said quickly.

"And Rocky Horror Picture Show-"

"Hehe. Yeah!" A.J. said with a mischievous grin on his face.

"And Clue," Annie finished.

"Oh, Tim Curry is in that! He is so great in that movie!" Shannon said excitedly.

"I'm with A.J. on this one," Hallie said. "Rocky Horror!"

"No way," Abby said. "Clue."

Kaelin decided to handle this in a more organized way, and took her Palm Pilot out of her pocket so she could keep a running tally. "Okay, lemme just set this up… got it! Alright, whoever wants to see Grease, raise your hand." Nobody raised their hand. "Well, that was easy," she said with a grin. "Okay, whoever wants to see Rocky Horror, raise your hands." A.J., Hallie, Beth, Emily, and Annie raised their hands. "Five for Rocky Horror," Kaelin said. "I hate to break it to you guys, but I have a strange feeling that Clue won."

"Aw, man!" A.J. said. "Hey, maybe we could watch it after Clue," he said hopefully.

"I hope you kids aren't planning on staying up too late," said a voice from the doorway to the room. The group looked up and saw Scarlet and Ace standing in the doorway.

"Nah, just gonna chill and watch a couple movies," Shannon told them.

"Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," Hallie said. "Just pull up a chair."

"I'm going to go to bed," Cassandra told them. "I'll see you all in the morning. Ta."

"Good night, Cassandra," Scarlet said with a polite smile.

"Night," the rest of the kids mumbled after her. 

"Finally, she's gone!" Hallie exclaimed once she was certain that Cassandra was out of earshot.

"Hallie!" Ace scolded. "That wasn't a nice thing to say." He paused to think about what he just said. "Okay, that was weird. For a second I sounded just like my father."

"Hallie and Cassandra hate each other. As far as they're concerned, there is nothing nice to say," Carla explained to him.

"Come to think of it, none of us like her too much," Hallie said. 

"Yeah, the word 'fun' isn't in her vocabulary," Shannon said.

"Cut her a little slack," Scarlet said. "You're all stuck here together, you may as well learn how to get along."

"You don't understand," Annie said. "We've spent half our lives hearing how we have to learn how to get along with her. And what do we get in return?"

"A bossy attitude, an ego trip, and a superiority complex, coupled with her treating us as hired help and then telling us that our brand of fun is childish and that we should try to be as 'mature' as her," Abby added. "Last month, she came over my house and I was nice enough to bring her some pizza and a soda from our dinner and instead of saying thank you, she just goes, 'what, you don't have any bottled water?'"

"I wanted to slap her for that," Beth said. "I mean, it was Abby's house, and Cassandra was talking to her like she was some sort of servant or something."

"Points well made," Scarlet said. "I barely know that kid, so I can't say anything bad about her, but she is my best friend's daughter and I just can't imagine her daughter being that nasty when her mother is the nicest person imaginable."

"Oh, we love her mom," Shannon said sincerely. "Her mom's great. But Cassandra spends more of her time with her grandmother who's kinda one of those high society types who love their money and kissing up to other rich people. Cassandra takes after her more than anyone."

"Oh, lord, her mother is still around?" Scarlet asked. "I don't know the woman but I've heard enough to know that her and Lady Jaye are like night and day. I guess the attitude skipped her and went straight to her daughter."

"Can we not talk about Cassandra?" Hallie asked disgustedly. "We're supposed to be having fun and talking about her is only gonna piss me off."

"Let's just start the movie," Kaelin said impatiently. 

"What movie?" The kids turned around upon hearing another voice coming from the doorway. Mainframe, Cover Girl, Shipwreck, Wild Bill, Roadblock, Duke, and Alpine were standing in the doorway, looking curiously at Kaelin, expecting to hear about the movie.

"Clue," Kaelin told them simply. She picked up the movie from where it was sitting on the coffee table and held it up for them to see. "We found it in the movie collection." 

Mainframe went over and took the tape from her hands, reading the back of the box the tape was inside. "I haven't seen this yet," he said.

"Are you kidding me?" Abby asked incredulously. "It's like, the best movie. Well, one of the best movies. Tim Curry is hysterical in this movie."

"Yeah, he gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'the butler did it,'" Shannon said with a giggle.

"Does anyone realize that he's also in Rocky Horror?" A.J. asked randomly.

"Who?" Beth asked.

"Tim Curry. He's in both movies we picked out."

"He is? Wow, that's pretty weird," Beth said.

"Where's Cassandra?" Lady Jaye asked as she popped her head inside the doorway. 

"She said she was going to bed," Emily said before Hallie could respond.

"Thanks." She walked off down the hallway, curious as to why Cassandra would be going to bed so early.

Kaelin jumped in before anyone else could detain them from starting the movie and took the box from Mainframe's hands. "Before it gets any later, I'm putting this movie in," she announced to everyone in the room. "So take a seat, sit back, and enjoy the show!"

To be continued…

Author's Note: What's Cassandra's problem? Is she going to change her attitude or is she doomed to be the thorn in the children's side for the rest of her life? I'll tackle that in the next chapter… so please keep reading and reviewing! 

Thank you again for your positive comments! It's what is keeping me going! 


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: As always, I want to thank everyone for the positive feedback. This will be the third chapter I upload today! YIPPEE!!!! I promise to get more up tomorrow, but tonight I'm off to a baseball game… In the meantime, please keep on reading and reviewing and letting me know what you think of the story as it develops. As always, praise is good, constructive criticism is okay, but please NO FLAMES!!!! Flames are mean, and mean people suck… hehe…

Cassandra was happy to finally get the peace and quiet she had been looking for. Once she had left the rec room and returned to the quarters she was sharing with the other girls, she had been able to curl up on the couch in the common room and immediately began tearing through Wuthering Heights. She had already read it during the school year in her Nineteenth Century Literature class, but she had wanted to read it again without having to analyze the meaning of every word on every page. 

Sometimes she truly wondered why she even tried to tolerate the other kids. She was well aware that their parents were all friends with her parents, so whenever they met with one another, it was inevitable that the children came along. But she hated when they came. They were childish, immature, and she suspected that none of them had any appreciation of the finer things in life- theater, gourmet dining, classic literature- their ideas of these things were catching a movie at one of those multiplexes, eating a Big Mac at McDonald's and reading the latest Harry Potter novel. She was probably not being too fair to them- she didn't really know any of them very well. But whenever they were all together, she just knew that she had nothing worth saying to them. 

Cassandra heard a knock on the door then, and got up to answer the door, first asking who was there before opening it. When she heard her mother's voice- or who would be mother- she opened the door and ushered her inside.

"Hey, what are you doing here by yourself?" Lady Jaye asked her once she stepped inside and closed the door.

"Oh, just doing some reading," Cassandra told her. "I needed some quiet time and I just couldn't get that in the rec room."

"You don't want to have some fun with your friends?" 

"I wouldn't consider them friends," Cassandra said. "And I suspect, on their part, the feeling is quite mutual."

Lady Jaye looked confused. "Why's that?"

Cassandra took a deep breath to think about how to phrase an answer to her question before saying, "We don't have anything in common. They insist on being completely childish. I would much rather read a classic novel, have a cup of English tea, and discuss international affairs with dignified business personnel than dance on tables, singing nonsense songs, watching plotless action movies at dirty movieplexes, and eating loads of artery clogging fast food."

Lady Jaye sat and looked at Cassandra for a minute, thinking of a response. "Cassandra, how old are you?"

"Excuse me?" 

"How old are you?"

"I'll be sixteen in August," Cassandra told her.

"So you're fifteen."

Cassandra nodded her head. "Yes."

"Has it occurred to you that maybe they're just being kids. You sound like you're fifteen going on fifty and I suspect you don't know how to have much fun," Lady Jaye told her.

"I know how to have fun!" Cassandra said indignantly. "I have fun when I get to dance the Nutcracker Suite in ballet class and playing field hockey and I like to debate with my peers in class-"

"And what about friends your age?"

"I have plenty of friends. My housemates at Andover are a great deal of fun. And I have my field hockey teammates as well. We do our homework together and have highly stimulating conversations-"

"And what about Carla? Don't the two of you go to school together?"

"Oh. Her," Cassandra said with a sneer. "She's a day student. A financial pity case no less. Oh, she's smart but just doesn't fit in with my group."

Lady Jaye sat with her jaw hanging open from the shock of hearing what this young girl was saying. Her words sounded very much like something her own mother would say. No doubt that her mother had a heavy influence upon this girl's view on life. "That's a very… harsh… way of stating things. I'll bet you barely know Carla," she said calmly.

"What's there to know? She's getting a free ride to the best prep school in this country while the rest of us are paying our way there and she acts like a complete child. She can't even dress properly. Now, granted, we don't have a uniform or anything at Andover, but one would think that she and other day students could wear something a little more dignified than blue jeans, a tee shirt, and a pair of sneakers to school. At least put on a nice blouse and a pair of decent shoes."

"She's dressing her age," Lady Jaye said. "I see nothing wrong with that. And as for a free ride… have you considered perhaps that she earned a scholarship and she's just not taking loan money?" 

"Either way, it's a free ride," Cassandra stated.

"Something tells me you have no idea how to relate to anyone your own age," Lady Jaye said disgustedly. "You spend a lot of time with your grandmother?"

"Why, yes? How did you know?"

"Just a hunch. Look, Cassandra, I know this is going to sound completely unfathomable to you right now, but sometime in the near future, you're going to have to go out into the world, and deal with people who are very different from you and your friends. And that includes people like Carla and the other children."

"I'm very well aware of that," Cassandra said. 

"I don't think you are. You've spent your entire life acting much like an adult- I'm willing to bet you're constantly surrounded by adults when you visit your grandmother- but you never really learned how to be a kid. Or you forgot how to be a kid; I'm not sure which it is."

Cassandra gave the woman who was going to be her mother a strange look. "And what do you propose I do about it? I'm at school nine and ten months out of the school year. I don't come home a lot- mostly I stay with Grandmother if I leave campus- and outside of school I'm only with people who are older than I am. The other kids- and I'm talking now about the ones in the rec room- they invite me to their parties and such, but only because their parents make them do so, not because they want to. And I go to these parties, because my parents make me, and I feel completely out of place mainly because I don't have anything in common with any of them."

"Have you given any of them a chance?"

Cassandra sighed. "Perhaps not. It didn't matter much when we were five or six years old but now that we're all a little older…"

Lady Jaye nodded. "Every single kid down there is a very different unique individual yet every one of them seems to get along with one another beautifully."

"All of us have grown up together," Cassandra told her. "We're all on that sort of common ground where, for the most part, we understand where each person is coming from- with the exception of me."

"Never too late to change that," Lady Jaye told her.

Cassandra hesitated. "I… I don't know." She sighed. "I doubt that I can just go in there and say, 'hey, I know you think I'm a wench but let's be friends.'"

"Just try to be nicer to them overall," Lady Jaye suggested. "Rome wasn't built in a day and they probably won't forgive you overnight. But… maybe in the long run they'll get to like you. And you have to learn how to relate to them too. Stop listening to every little thing your grandmother says. Lord knows I stopped years ago. Just don't be afraid to be a kid."

Cassandra considered this for a moment. "This is going to take some getting used to."

"Yes it is."

Cassandra nodded. "All right. But you're going to have to help me learn how to understand them."

Lady Jaye smiled. "I don't know how much I can help, but if you need anything- anything at all- just let me know."

!!!!!!!!

To be continued…

Author's Note: Okay, I understand that was a bit of fluff but now we have to get into the meat and potatoes of the storyline… next chapter, the childrens' parents finally get themselves back to 1986… stay tuned and keep reviewing! 


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the continued positive responses to the story. I'm doing my best to keep on posting but I'm going to be honest and say the next couple days will be a little hectic… I'll do my best to keep everything updated though! In the mean time, keep on reading and reviewing. As always, praise is good, constructive criticism is okay, NO FLAMES. Flames are mean, and mean people suck… hehe…

Disclaimer: I'm broke, don't sue.

Actual disclaimer: Hasbro, Sunbow, and Marvel and everyone else own G.I. Joe. I own nothing except for the children I created.

June 22, 1986 

The computer programming had taken most of the morning and a good chunk of the afternoon, but just after 4:00, Blaine triumphantly announced that the computer was ready and they could leave at any time. Now they were all standing in the middle of a storage hangar, in what they hoped was the proper year to find their children. A glance at their wristwatches, which still seemed to be working, said the time was 5:30 in the afternoon, but that was in their own time. 

The one thing that all of them had remembered was to bring along duffel bags full of clothing for their children and themselves. They knew from their previous experience that they would be in the past for four days, so they packed enough clothing to last them as long. Most of them had brought a few of the children's favorite things to let them have a taste of home, such as their portable CD players, a couple CD's, teddy bears, movies, and snacks.

"Man, what a trip," Bazooka said as he rubbed his head. Most of them had found themselves strewn every which way on the floor, surrounded by storage crates and spare parts for what appeared to be military vehicles. The duffel bags they'd brought with them were scattered around where they lay. 

"Looks like we're here. Let's go find Abby and the others," Hector said quickly, as he tried to stand up so he could head out the door. 

Courtney grabbed his shoulder before he could stand up. "Shouldn't we figure out exactly where on the base we are first?" she suggested. 

"But what about-"

"We'll get Abby," she told him. "But let's figure out a way to get out kids without having ourselves arrested."

He sighed and nodded his head, knowing that his best friend was right. "All right," he said quietly. "But let's figure this out quick. I want to make sure that my little girl hasn't been corrupted for life."

!!!!!!!!

To be continued: So the childrens' parents have officially made it back in time. Now they need to find the kids… and what will happen if they come face to face with themselves? Stay tuned to find out and keep reviewing!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: I apologize for what comes next. I've spent part of the day listening to young children sing the Spongebob Squarepants song and I thought for some reason it might be funny to add into the story. I used to do this kind of thing in my lunch hour when I was in high school (although we used to sing the Hanukkah song…). The only explanation I have for this is that the kids are starting to get cabin fever…

As always, keep on reading and reviewing! The feedback thus far has been great! Just remember that praise is good, constructive criticism is okay but please NO FLAMES. Flames are mean, and mean people suck… hehe…

6:30 PM

"Are you ready kids?" asked Shannon as she got up onto a chair in the middle of the mess hall. 

"Aye aye, Captain!" the other kids answered back, as the rest of the Joes who were eating dinner looked towards the children with looks of confusion drawn across their faces, their parents included.

"I can't hear you!" she told them.

"AYE AYE CAPTAIN!!!!" the kids screamed back.

"What are they doing?" Flint asked Lady Jaye. 

"I have no idea," she said, her face registering both interest and confusion.

"Oooooooooooohhhh…." Shannon drawled out. "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"

"Spongebob Square Pants!" the other kids chanted.

"Absorbent and yellow and porous is he!" A.J. chimed in.

"Spongebob Square Pants!"

"His nautical home must be something you wish!" A.J. and Shannon yelled together.

"Spongebob Square Pants!" the others answered.

"Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish!"

"Spongebob Square Pants!"

All the kids began to sing together. "Spongebob Square Pants! Spongebob Square Pants! Spongebob Square Pants! Spongebob… Squarepants!" Only Cassandra didn't sing along with the kids, but not because she didn't want to- she just didn't know the words to the song.

"What the hell was that?" Scarlett demanding, trying to hide the fact that she was ready to burst out laughing.

"The Spongebob Square Pants theme song," Shannon answered simply, a look of innocence plastered on her face. "It's a cartoon show."

"It's been on TV since we were little but it's one of those theme songs that everyone knows," A.J. added.

"It kinda sticks in your head," Abby chimed in. "And then it takes hours to get it out. My dad was humming it while we were making dinner one afternoon and he yelled at me for getting it stuck in his head."

"We could have sung something even more annoying," Kaelin told Scarlett. "We could have started singing the 'Song that Never Ends.'"

"Oh, there's an idea!" Shannon exclaimed happily as a mischievous glint flashed through her eyes.

"NO!" Danny told her quickly. "The last time you started singing that, you had me singing it for the next three periods in school. Rob Carney thought I was on some serious drugs during gym because I couldn't stop singing it."

"Hehe. And I missed this?" Cole teased. 

"Be happy you did."

"Are you kids almost done eating?" Scarlett asked them.

"I am," Annie said. " This stuff is even worse than what my school cafeteria tries to pass off as a 'healthy meal.'"

"Now I remember why I bring my lunch to school every day," Abby added.

"Anybody up for a game of manhunt?" Beth asked.

"Hell, yeah!" Abby said. 

"Beth, we can't go outside, remember?" Dave reminded her.

"Oh. Yeah," Beth said sadly. 

"You could play it inside," Scarlett offered.

"No you can't," Abby said. "Manhunt is the outdoors, in the dark, team version of hide and seek."

"Oh. Well, there's plenty of other things to do inside," she told them.

"Hey, Danny still owes me a rematch of that poker game," Hallie said with a devilish grin on her face. "Come on guys, I'll race you to the rec room!"

Carla shot her a strange look as she followed her out the door. "Hallie, what are you up to?" she asked her. 

"What are you talking about?" Hallie asked her innocently.

"Since when are you so agreeable about not getting to do what you want?"

"I want a rematch," Hallie told her. "I'm not lying."

"You want to get out of this building as much as I do," Carla pointed out.

"And the rest of us too," Danny's voice said from behind her. Carla and Hallie whirled around to see their friends standing behind them.

"What do you have in mind, oh fearless leader?" Chris asked Danny. The others looked expectantly at Danny.

"Since when am I the leader?" Danny asked his friends, who were now clustered around him.

"You just are," Cole said with a shrug.

"Come on big brother. How do you plan to break us out of here?" Shannon asked.

"Break out is such a strong phrase," Danny said. "I prefer to call it leaving quietly."

"Whatever you want to call it is fine- how are we going to do it though?" Annie asked.

"That is the question," Emily said.

Danny closed his eyes as he tried to come up with ideas to help he and his friends sneak out of the building. "Follow me," he said, walking down the hall.

"Where are we going?" Cassandra asked.

"To the outside doors," Danny said simply.

"That's the big plan," Alicia said, obviously unimpressed. "We're just going to walk out?"

"The place is surrounded by MP's," Cole told him. "We'll never get past them."

"Not to mention that we're supposed to be watched by our parents tonight. I'll bet most of them already noticed that we left," Kaelin added.

"Most of the MP's probably don't know us from a hole in the ground," Danny said. "If we walk out in the open from the building, the MP's probably won't make too much of a fuss. As for our parents… well, they're not our parents yet. They have no reason not to believe what I told them- that we were going to the rec room."

"Yeah, but if any of the Joes do catch us we're screwed," Matt said.

"I wonder if maybe there's a back entrance that goes out towards the fields," Danny asked, more to himself than anyone else.

"We haven't left the building since we got here," Kaelin said. "How are we supposed to know what door leads where?"

"Trial and error I guess," Danny said with a shrug. 

"That's the brilliant plan?" Alicia said, still unimpressed. "Danny, I think you're starting to lose your edge in the brilliant plan department."

"Just follow me," Danny said. "If anyone asks, we're just exploring."

"Yeah, exploring escape routes," Cassandra said under her breath.

Annie shot her a confused look. "Did you just make a joke?" she asked Cassandra.

Cassandra shrugged, not really knowing the answer to Annie's question. 

The group approached a door at the end of the hallway and they all looked expectantly at Danny as he peeked out the door. Just as quickly as he opened the door a crack, he let it close. "It goes right out to the flight deck," he told them. "It's swarming with MP's and Joes."

"We wouldn't make it three feet out the door," Abby reasoned. 

"Well, let's go find another door," Cole said.

"You know, you kids have to learn a very important lesson," a voice said from behind them. "When planning daring escapes, always watch your backs."

To be continued… 

Author's Note: Oops… looks like the kids got caught… But who did they get caught by? Keep on reading and reviewing! Stay tuned for more! 


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Thank you for your continued kind words! I'm very flattered! Well, here's the next part and I hope you all enjoy it! As always, keep on reading and reviewing! And remember, praise is good, constructive criticism is okay, but NO FLAMES! Flames are mean and mean people suck… hehe…

Disclaimer: I'm broke, don't sue.

Actual disclaimer: Hasbro, Sunbow, and Marvel and everyone else own G.I. Joe. I own nothing except for the children I created. Oh, and because I forgot to write this in the previous chapter, I'm going to say it now just so everything is clear. Nickelodeon and some other people own Spongebob Squarepants. I don't own him… phew…

The kids turned around and saw Shipwreck leaning against a wall behind them, looking on at the kids with an amused expression on his face. "Who says we're trying to sneak out?" Abby asked him innocently.

"We won't make it three feet out the door," Shipwreck said, mimicking Abby's previous statement.

"Good job, Abby," Beth said. "We just got busted."

"Not necessarily," Shipwreck told her. Beth and the other kids looked at him with interest as he continued. "Look, it wasn't my idea to tell you kids you had to stay inside. It's been two days, you're getting bored and restless and you're kids. You want to be outside. And you're probably going to want to kill one another if you're stuck inside much longer."

"Yeah, it feels like we're grounded but we didn't do anything wrong," Hallie said. 

"For once," Carla said.

"All right, follow me," Shipwreck told them. He led them back down the hall they had just come from, where they met up with Cover Girl. 

"Shipwreck, where are you going with them?" she asked.

"We're playing follow the leader," Annie said.

"And where are you following him too?" Cover Girl asked her, but shooting a pointed look at Shipwreck. 

"Would you kids excuse me for a minute?" he asked the kids. They nodded and he pulled Cover Girl over to the wall and lowered his voice so the kids couldn't hear him. "Look, they need to go outside for a little bit and I'm helping them out before they drive themselves and the rest of us crazy," he explained.

"You're trying to sneak them out?" she asked incredulously. The kids shot her a dirty look and she lowered her voice when she realized she was probably speaking too loudly. "Do you know how much trouble you can get in?" she asked.

"I'm always getting yelled at," he shrugged. "But I really feel like these kids need to get out. Even if it's just for ten minutes or something, I say let them get out of this building for a little. They're bored, they're restless and if we don't let them go, they'll go from being sweet, bearable children to angry, restless, aggressive children."

She looked over at the children who were staring over at the pair with hopeful smiles on their faces. "Come on, Ms. Krieger," Shannon begged. "Please?"

"Yeah, come on, Cover Girl," Beth said. 

"Elizabeth Nicole Krieger," said an authoritative female voice from behind the children. "If you want to do something, you have to ask me first."

The children, along with Shipwreck and Cover Girl turned around to face the last people they expected to see at that very moment- what appeared to be older versions of themselves. The childrens' parents. 

"Daddy?!" Abby asked a man with graying hair and a beard.

"In the flesh," he said with a smile. Abby ran over and gave him a big hug, leading the other children to follow her example and greet their parents happily. The only ones who held back were Kaelin and Cole, who were carefully approaching their parents with guarded expressions on their faces. 

Kaelin could barely look her mother in the eye. "Hi, Mom," she said quietly. "Hey, Dad."

Her father put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Kay?" he asked softly. "Are you okay?"

She shrugged his hand off her and stepped back. "I'm fine."

"We're both fine," Cole said flatly. 

Their mother handed each of them a duffel bag. "We brought some of your clothes and stuff with us," she told them.

"Thanks," Cole said, eyeing her with contempt but taking the bag from her anyway. 

Alayna and Chris looked over at the pair and raised their eyebrows. "Man, you can cut the tension between them with a knife," Alayna said to her brother as she pointed to Kaelin, Cole, and their parents. 

"I hope they're going to be okay," Chris said.

"They'll be fine," their father assured them. "I reckon they just need some time to sort through what they've learned the past couple days."

Alayna looked at her father in shock. "How'd you know?" she asked incredulously. 

"Keep in mind I've already lived this moment once, darlin'," he reminded his daughter. 

Shannon was standing next to her mother and father, with a big grin on her face. "How'd you know where to find us?" she asked her parents.

"Long story," Shana told her daughter.

Her father looked over at Shipwreck and Cover Girl who were staring. "Would you two mind calling our younger counterparts into a meeting in the conference room?"

The two Joes stared dumbfounded at the aged versions of themselves and their friends. "Oh my God," Cover Girl said quietly as she stared at the tall, slender, auburn-haired woman standing before her hugging Beth and Dave. There were some wisps of gray visible in her shoulder length hair. Although she was definitely older, there was no mistaking the fact that this woman was her, or at least would be her twenty years from now. 

"Are you all right? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Courtney told her. 

"Um, I'm fine. Just a little shocked, I guess."

"Weren't expecting to come face to face with yourself?" Courtney asked her.

"It's not something that happens every day," Cover Girl admitted.

"Can someone explain just what is going on?" Shipwreck demanded.

"We'll explain everything just as soon as you get everyone together in the conference room," Conrad told them. "You have my word."

"But-" Shipwreck started to protest but Cover Girl cut him off.

"Shipwreck, just take them to the conference room and quit arguing. I'll go get the to others," she told him.

"Not necessary to escort us," Flint said. "We know how to get there. Tell the others we'll meet them in twenty minutes." 

"Oh, right. Of course," Shipwreck said, feeling half-confused as to what exactly was going on. He stared blankly at the departing forms of the children and their parents as they headed for the conference room. "Well, that was the strangest conversation I've had in a long time."

"Yeah. I just talked to me- or who will be me- or something," Cover Girl said in confusion. She rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath before continuing. "Let's just go find the others. I'm sure they'll want to know what's going on."

To be continued…

Author's Note: Hmmm… things could get interesting from here… Please continue to read and review… I really appreciate the feedback thus far!!!!


End file.
